There are good reasons why Leoš Janáček is considered to be one of the most important opera composers of the twentieth century, and – perhaps more importantly – why his operas are being given an increasing number of performances around the world. Victorian Opera’s production of Katya Kabanova illuminates these reasons in so many ways.
Firstly: Janáček’s music. With Alexander Briger conducting the gifted musicians of the Australian National Academy of Music we heard a splendid reading of a score full of passionate intensity. As the nephew of one of Australia’s most eminent conductors, Sir Charles Mackerras, Briger is well placed to inspire this band of elite young players. It is Mackerras, who, through painstaking scholarship and championing of Janáček’s music, was largely responsible for renewed interest in it. A shared enthusiasm informed Briger’s conducting to bring Janáček’s score to vivid life. To modern ears the music does not appear as “difficult” as it would have been when premiered in 1921. Janáček’s use of Moravian dialect to capture the rhythmic essence of spoken communication flows naturally, and his incorporation of Czech folk music, especially for the secondary pair of lovers, has ready appeal and contrasts with Katya’s yearning and increasingly tortured state of mind.
Then there is the story. Set in a village on the Volga River, the community is socially and physically restrictive in a way unfamiliar to your average modern operagoer, but the quest for emotional and sexual fulfillment in the face of others’ judgment has been a trope central to human relationships for millennia. It’s a timeless story to which audiences can readily relate. Basing his libretto on Alexander Ostrovsky’s (at the time) immensely popular play, The Storm, the 67 year-old married Janáček was also inspired by his obsession with Kamila Stösslová, a married woman forty years his junior. Fortunately, he was able to sublimate this fervent, unrequited love into a stunning work of musical art.
All you need after that are singers with exceptional voices capable of singing in the Czech language, and a production team with the vision and technical skills to recreate Janáček’s world. On both counts Victorian Opera has been astonishingly successful.
Much of the success stems from Heather Fairbairn’s directorial choices. Victorian Opera has supplied considerable information online about this production, including Fairbairn’s sources of inspiration. As St Kilda’s Palais Theatre was first designed as a cinema theatre, it lent itself to a production that foregrounds cinematic techniques and practices. Although a three-Act opera, Katya Kabanova is around standard film length of around 100 minutes when played without an interval as in this production – a choice that maintained tension and promoted fuller immersion.
Whether intentional or not, the promo for Victorian Opera’s exciting 2026 season on the front scrim screen was in keeping with the previews customary in a movie theatre. During the overture that depicts the state of Katya’s emotional trajectory, the credits were screened – a nod to cinema practice as well as being a helpful reminder of who’s who. The scrim curtain rose to reveal scaffold structures encased in plastic that shredded as the drama progressed. Footage from roving cameras was projected on the back screen, generally in black and white, but sometimes infused with a pink wash or red highlights to reflect Katya’s desire. The visual element of this production was adventurous and conceived in intricate detail. Savanna Wegman’s set and costume design fused beautifully with Fairbairn’s cinematic palette – even Katya’s costume of white top and deep red skirt echoed the competing forces that eventually tore her apart.
Huge credit must be given to the camera operators, notably Benjamin Sheen, who followed the action so smoothly and unobtrusively that he began to merge with the background. It was clear that his choice of shots had been carefully selected beforehand. The required choreography had the potential of restricting the singers’ freedom of movement, but any limitations were not obvious. The interweaving of projected on-the-spot filming with prepared footage by video designer Robert Brown was masterful. Katya’s visions of blossomed happiness stood in stark contrast to images of fractured images of despair.
The deteriorating plastic worked well as a metaphor of psychological disintegration, and the transformation of a major structure into the bridge was most effective, especially as the shiny stage surface created a sense of depth. But for all the brilliance of creative ingenuity and technical skill, it was finally the singers who made this production so compelling.
Now familiar to Melbourne audiences after her highly acclaimed performance in Victorian Opera’s production of Eucalyptus, Adelaide-based Desiree Frahn has scored another triumph in the title role of Katya Kabanova. She possesses a soprano voice of great beauty and outstanding projection. With a face that simply invites lingering camera close-ups and a subtle expressiveness devoid of histrionics, she elicited sympathy for her predicament. Her portrayal of Katya’s yearning for emotional fulfillment in the face of a vacuous husband and cruel mother-in-law – made doubly painful when it was snatched away from her – was totally credible.
As Boris, Katya’s possible means of escape, Andrew Goodwin gave a most creditable performance of a young man hamstrung by the domination of his uncle Dikoj until he turned 21 and could come into his inheritance. Even in the close-ups he conveyed a sense of youthful freshness and hope, his matinee idol good looks a distinct asset. A tenor noted for his fine singing of Russian repertoire, Goodwin gave a vibrant vocal performance, earnest and ardent as he indulged in a romantic fantasy.
In the roles of the much more optimistic romantic pair, Kudrrjaš and Vavara, Douglas Kelly and Emily Edmonds were terrific, creating a lively counterfoil to the doomed pair. Kelly has great vitality both vocally and theatrically, and managed to balance a light touch with the more down-to-earth pragmatism demanded of the role. Edmonds mezzo-soprano voice was a pleasure throughout – warm, secure and substantial without any undue heaviness. There was some engagingly gentle interplay in scenes between the two women, with Edmonds animated and playful. When Vavara, the family’s foster daughter, tempts Katya with the key to escape the house undetected and meet Boris, Fairbairn elevated the key imagery to make some thought-provoking graphic associations.
Fairbairn also highlighted some unexpected dynamics between the mother and son pair – the family matriarch Kabanicha and Tichon, Katya’s mother-pecked husband. While embracing the controlling and sadistic aspects of Kabanicha, Antoinette Halloran’s physical attractiveness emphasised an uneasy sexual dimension that presented her as a rival to Katya in Timon’s affections. The scenes in which Kabanicha arranged Tichon’s tie (suggestive of a strangling noose) and wielded a sadomasochistic stick generated an atmosphere of warped sensuality. Tenor Michael Petruccelli’s characterisation of a frustrated weak man, trapped in an oppressive situation and stunted by his mother’s coercive power was surprisingly moving at times. Both Halloran and Petruccelli gave impressive performances, singing with well-projected, full-bodied intensity.
The quality of the singing and acting was also admirable in the less central roles. Adrian Tamburini has the ability to command the stage no matter what the role; his sonorous bass baritone and willingness to take theatrical risks made the unpalatable Dikoj a memorable character. Michaela Cadwgan’s Glasha, Bailey Montgomerie’s Kuligin and Belinda Paterson’s Fekluscha proved that small parts can have a sizeable impact. The contribution of a formidable lineup of chorus members – boasting some of Melbourne’s most accomplished young singers – was excellent in the final scene as a communal soundscape.
It would be difficult for any review to convey the complexity of this intricate production. Without overwhelming the music or the dramatic focus, Janáček’s masterpiece has been given the outstanding treatment it deserves. Victorian Opera’s production also deserves far more outings than the two given in this season.
Photo credit: Jeff Busby
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Heather Leviston reviewed Victorian Opera’s production of “Katya Kabanova”, presented at the Palais Theatre, St Kilda on October 14, 2025.
