Critic’s Choice

March 10, 2015 at 3:02 pm

By Aaron Keebaugh

Leoš Janáček

Of all of the operas performed in Boston, those by Leoš Janáček have remain largely untouched. The Boston Lyric Opera looks to fill that lacuna as the company presents its first-ever staging of the composer’s Kátya Kabanová, which opens Friday night at the Shubert Theatre.

The rich and lyrical work tells of the guilt-torn Kátya, who is caught between a loveless marriage and a steamy affair. Its vexing story, based on Alexander Ostrovsky’s play The Storm, also echoed Janáček’s real-life feelings for the married Kamila Stösslová.

Boston Lyric Opera’s production, directed by Tim Albery, will feature several singers in their company debuts: Elaine Alvarez will star as Kátya, Raymond Very will perform the role of Boris, and Elizabeth Byrne will appear as Kabanicha.

Rounding out the cast will be Alan Schneider (Tichon), Sandra Piques Eddy (Varvara), James Demler (Dikoy), Omar Najmi (Vanya), David McFerrin (Kuligin), Chelsea Basler (Glascha), and Heather Gallagher (Fekluscha). David Angus conducts.

Kátya Kabanová opens 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Shubert Theatre and runs through March 22. blo.org; 617-542-4912.

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One Response to “Critic’s Choice”

  1. Posted Mar 18, 2015 at 10:31 am by Frances Shedd-Fisher

    Caldwell’s production of The Markropulos Case
    with Anja Silja may be before your time, but it still stands out in my memory as extraordinary.
    I had been looking forward to the BLO production of Katya Kabanova; I found it extremely disappointing.)

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