Czech Philharmonic ⬩ Káťa Kabanová

During the coming seasons, we want our subscription series to offer not only symphonic works, but also concert performances of major operatic works on a regular basis. Káťa Kabanová follows upon the performance of Jenůfa under Jiří Bělohlávek in 2016, and as was the case back then, the Czech Philharmonic will follow its Prague concerts of the opera with performances abroad, this time at the Elbe Philharmonic Hall in Hamburg. The adapting of the performing of operas to the conditions of a symphony orchestra requires careful planning. Good operatic performances cannot be achieved following a usual weekly rehearsal schedule, and to perform at their best, singers need time between concerts for their voices to recuperate. For this reason, we scheduled the Thursday subscription concert a week earlier than the Wednesday and Friday performances. We hope that you appreciate the artistic necessity of this step and that the richness of the musical experience will compensate for any difficulties with planning your visit to the Rudolfinum. In Káťa Kabanová, Janáček’s deeply moving lyrical adaptation of Ostrovsky’s drama The Storm, the finest Czech artists will join forces under the baton of Jakub Hrůša, an experienced and popular opera conductor. The drama of the ill-fated love of the married woman Katya for Boris leads inevitably to a tragic end with the contribution of society’s prejudices and of male weakness. Káťa Kabanová, one of Janáček’s most successful operas, is played regularly at leading opera houses worldwide.