Káťa Kabanová Was To Be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast

Summary: Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová was to be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing as 22nd in the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová features costumes and sets by Robert Israel and lighting by Gil Wechsler: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook July 3, 2019

Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová was to be the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday broadcast, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) and numbering as the 22nd of the season’s 23 radio matinees.

Czech composer Leoš Janáček (July 3, 1854-Aug. 12, 1928) set his musical score for Káťa Kabanová to a Czech libretto that he co-wrote with Czech journalist and translator Vincenc Červinka (Aug. 2, 1877-Oct. 2, 1942). The libretto’s literary source was Гроза (Russian: groza, “storm, thunderstorm”), a five-act drama by 19th-century Russian realist playwright Alexander Nikolayevich Ostrovsky (April 12, 1823-June 14, 1886). Ostrovsky’s play premiered Nov. 16, 1859, at Maly Theatre (Малый театр, “Small Theatre”), located on central Moscow’s Teatralnaya Square (Theatre Square; Russian: Театральная площадь, Teatralnaya ploshchad).

Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová premiered Nov. 23, 1921, at the National Theatre Brno (Czech: Národní divadlo Brno) in the South Moravian Region of the modern-day Czech Republic. Brno’s major theatre house now comprises three stages: Mahen Theatre (Mahenovo divadlo), Janáček Theatre (Janáčkovo divadlo) and Reduta Theatre (Divadlo Reduta). Káťa Kabanová premiered in Mahen Theatre.

Káťa Kabanová received its Metropolitan Opera premiere Feb. 25, 1991. The opera received eight performances in the 1990-1991 Met Opera season.

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season offers three performances of Káťa Kabanová. The season’s first performance takes place May 2, 2020, at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) as the 22nd of 23 radio matinees. The season’s second performance is schedued for Wednesday, May 6, at 8 p.m. The opera’s closing night performance Saturday, May 9, at 7:30 p.m., also closes the 2019-2020 Met Opera season.

Update: The Metropolitan Opera announced via Facebook Thursday, March 12, 2020, the cancellation of the rest of the 2019-2020 season due to the Covid-19 virus pandemic. The Metropolitan Opera Archives Database (MetOpera Database) entry of March 12, 2020, noted the cancellation of 58 performances. Operas affected by the cancellation were identified as La Bohème, La Cenerentola, Così Fan Tutte, Der Fliegende Holländer, Kát'a Kabanová, Madama Butterfly, Manon Lescaut, Maria Stuarda, Simon Boccanegra, Tosca, La Traviata, Turandot and Werther.

Update: The opera company's coronavirus-occasioned closure affected all performances of Káťa Kabanová scheduled for the 2019-2020 season. The opera was not performed in the 2019-2020 season.

The three-act opera has an estimated run time of 2 hours 11 minutes. Acts I and II run for 69 minutes. An intermission of 32 minutes follows. Act III spans 30 minutes.

Lothar Koenigs had been scheduled to conduct all three performances. The German conductor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 1, 2008, in the opera house’s 506th performance of Don Giovanni by 18th century Classical Era composer Wolfgang Mozart (Jan. 27, 1756-Dec. 5, 1791). In the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Lothar Koenigs also conducts Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

Susanna Phillips had been scheduled to sing the title role as Káťa, unhappily married to Tichon Kabanová and in love with Boris, a merchant’s nephew. The American lyric soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 15, 2008, as Musetta in the opera house’s 1,201st performance of La Bohème by Italian opera composer Giacomo Puccini (Dec. 22, 1858-Nov. 29, 1924). During the 2019-2020 Met Opera season, Susanna Phillips performs as the Countess in Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and also reprises her debut role as Musetta in Puccini’s La Bohème.

Daniela Mack had been scheduled to appear as Varvara, a foundling, fostered by the Kabanová family, who leaves with schoolteacher Vanya for a new life in Moscow. The Argentine mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Feb. 2, 2017, as the Kitchen Boy in the opera house’s 28th performance of Rusalka by Czech composer Antonín Dvořák (Sept. 8, 1841-May 1, 1904).

Dolora Zajick had been scheduled to appear as Kabanicha, Káťa’s mother-in-law, who prevents her son from rescuing the drowning Káťa. The American mezzo-soprano made her Metropolitan Opera debut Oct. 8, 1988, as Azucena in the opera house’s 515th performance of Il Trovatore by 19th century Italian opera composer Giuseppe Verdi (Oct. 10, 1813-Jan. 27, 1901). Opera News magazine’s Sept. 5, 2019, issue announced Dolora Zajick’s intention to retire after her role debut as Kabanicha in the 2019-2020 season.

Pavel Cernoch had been scheduled to appear as Boris, who is merchant Dikoi’s nephew and who loves Káťa. The Czech tenor’s appearance in Káťa Kabanová’s season premiere, Saturday, May 2, marks his Metropolitan Opera debut.

Stefan Margita had been scheduled to appear as Tichon, Káťa’s husband, who blames his mother for his wife’s suicidal drowning. The Slovak tenor made his Metropolitan Opera debut Nov. 12, 2009, as Filka Morozov/Kuzmich in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Janáček’s From the House of the Dead.

Paul Appleby had been scheduled to appear as Vanya, a schoolteacher who finds happiness with Varvara, the Kabanová family’s foster daughter. The American operatic tenor’s Metropolitan Opera debut happened May 7, 2011, as Brighella in the opera house’s 89th performance of Ariadne auf Naxos by German late Romantic and early modern composer Richard Strauss (June 11, 1864-Sept. 8, 1949).

Sir John Tomlinson had been scheduled to appear as Dikoi, a merchant, who decides to send his nephew, Boris, away after Káťa’s public confession of her assignation with Boris. The English bass made his Metropolitan Opera debut Dec. 8, 1999, as Moses in the Metropolitan Opera premiere of Moses und Aron by Austrian composer and music theorist Arnold Schoenberg (Sept. 13, 1874-July 13, 1951).

The 2019-2020 Met Opera season’s presentation of Káťa Kabanová would have marked the opera house’s third revival of staging by Sir Jonathan Miller. The English opera and theatre director made his Metropolitan Opera debut with his production of Káťa Kabanová for the opera’s Metropolitan Opera premiere. The opera’s first and second revivals took place in the 1998-1999 and 2004-2005 seasons.

Sir Jonathan’s production team comprises set and costume designer Robert Israel and lighting director Gil Wechsler.

The takeaways for Káťa Kabanová as the May 2, 2020, Met Opera Saturday matinee broadcast are that, airing at 1 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time, Janáček’s opera would have numbered as the 22nd of 23 weekly radio broadcasts; that the opera’s end-of-season run had been scheduled to close the 2019-2020 season; and that the opera's closing night performance had been intended to mark the retirement of American mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick.

Act III's storm shelter in Sir Jonathan Miller's production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová at the Metropolitan Opera: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook May 28, 2019

Acknowledgment

My special thanks to talented artists and photographers/concerned organizations who make their fine images available on the internet.

Image credits:

Sir Jonathan Miller’s production of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová features costumes and sets by Robert Israel and lighting by Gil Wechsler: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook July 3, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10162144909415533

Seeking shelter from a storm in Act III of Leoš Janáček’s Káťa Kabanová does not shelter the occupants from mental upsets, such as merchant Dikoi’s thundering prediction of storms as God’s punishment and Káťa Kabanová’s explosive revelation of her affair with Boris: Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera, via Facebook May 28, 2019, @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pcb.10161990202300533/10161990173930533/

For further information:

"Debut: Dolora Zajick." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 294140 Il Trovatore {515} Metropolitan Opera House: 10/8/1988.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=294140

“Debut: Susanna Phillips.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352749 La Bohème {1201} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/15/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352749

“Debuts: Hyesang Park, Anthony Clark Evans, Daniela Mack, Austin McCormick.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 356617 New production Rusalka {28} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/02/2017.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=356617

“Debuts: John Tomlinson, Malin Fritz.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 331393 Metropolitan Opera Premiere Moses und Aron {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/08/1999.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=331393

“Debuts: Lothar Koenigs, Mark Thomsen.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 352723 Don Giovanni {506} Metropolitan Opera House: 12/01/2008.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=352723

“Debuts: Paul Appleby, Noah Baetge.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 353993 Ariadne auf Naxos {89} Matinee ed. Metropolitan Opera House: 05/07/2011.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=353993

helcatj. "The Metropolitan Opera Company 2019-2020 Season." Showcase Opera and Events blog. Aug. 13, 2019.
Available @ https://showcaseoperaandeventsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/13/the-metropolitan-opera-company-2019-2020-season/

Ken Howard to The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Dolora Zajick has announced her retirement from the stage during the short run of KATYA KABANOVA at the end of this season. She has been a memorable singer in telecasts and HDs of AIDA, TROVATORE, and RUSALKA. Could the Met not see their way to add KATYA as an HD?” Facebook. Sept. 11, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/dolora-zajick-has-announced-her-retirement-from-the-stage-during-the-short-run-o/10162441754500533/

Marriner, Derdriu. "Der Fliegende Holländer Was To Be March 14, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 9, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/kata-kabanova-is-may-2-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "La Cenerentola Was To Be March 21, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 16, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/orfeo-ed-euridice-is-april-4-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Orfeo ed Euridice Was To Be April 4, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 30, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/orfeo-ed-euridice-is-april-4-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Simon Boccanegra Was To Be April 18, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 13, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/simon-boccanegra-is-april-18-2020-met.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Tosca Was To Be April 11, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 6, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/tosca-is-april-11-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Turandot Was To Be April 25, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, April 20, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/04/turandot-is-april-25-2020-met-opera.html

Marriner, Derdriu. "Werther Was To Be March 28, 2020, Met Opera Saturday Matinee Broadcast." Earth and Space News. Monday, March 23, 2020.
Available @ https://earth-and-space-news.blogspot.com/2020/03/werther-is-march-28-2020-met-opera.html

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “Happy Birthday to Czech composer Leoš Janáček, who was born on July 3, 1854. Experience Janáček's engrossing opera Káťa Kabanová, whose domestic drama was loosely inspired by the composer's own life experience, on stage next season. Tickets on sale now: bit.ly/2XgO6IF Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. July 3, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/posts/10162144909415533

The Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. "In light of the circumstances involving the coronavirus and in consultation with the Office of the Mayor of New York City, we regret to inform our audience that all Met performances have been canceled through March 31, including tonight’s planned performance of La Cenerentola. This Saturday’s Live in HD cinema presentation of Der Fliegende Holländer has also been canceled. Thank you for your understanding. Learn More: www.metopera.org/updates." Facebook. March 12, 2020.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/10163327604920533

Metropolitan Opera @MetOpera. “The Met’s 2019–20 season features many of opera’s orchestral wonders . . . Photo by Ken Howard / Met Opera.” Facebook. May 28, 2019.
Available @ https://www.facebook.com/MetOpera/photos/pcb.10161990202300533/10161990173930533/

“Metropolitan Opera Premiere: Káťa Kabanová.” MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 303530 Metropolitan Opera Premiere {1} Metropolitan Opera House: 02/25/1991.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=303530

"Season Cancellation." MetOpera Database > [Met Performance] CID: 357448 Season Cancellation March 12-May 9, 2020. Metropolitan Opera House: 03/12/2020.
Available @ http://archives.metoperafamily.org/archives/scripts/cgiip.exe/WService=BibSpeed/fullcit.w?xCID=357448

Woolfe, Zachary. "The Metropolitan Opera Season That Vanished." The New York Times > Arts > Music. May 13, 2020.
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