BACKSTAGE WITH… Soprano Laura Wilde
What’s the story of Kát’a Kabanová?
It’s based on a play by Ostrovsky called The Storm about a young woman called Kát’a who marries into a family in a small town. Shortly after, she falls in love with another man from her town named Boris. There’s a huge storm in Act III which Kát’a sees as punishment from God – she becomes completely unhinged. She confesses to the town what she has done and jumps into a river and drowns.
How would you describe its soundworld?
Janácˇek is often compared to Strauss. There are beautiful melodies, peppered with very stark, harsh moments. The narrative flows throughout – there’s none of the stopping and starting you get with aria-led operas. Nothing’s rhythmically or tonally simple. After my brain’s been in Janácˇek world, I can’t just move onto Mahler!
Janácˇek’s operas have had a resurgence in recent years. Why do you think this is?
Audiences are willing to take more of a risk now, so opera companies can stray away from the easy wins that will sell tickets. This opera is a great entry point for audiences that don’t know Janácˇek. The emotions are so real and complex, and there’s so much to digest with all the inner workings of the characters. Although it doesn’t have tunes you’ll necessarily be able to hum along to, there are so many moments where the writing is overwhelmingly beautiful.