Teatro Real: Katia Kabanová

An opera the Teatro Real in Madrid is programming with Katia Kabanová, a lyric drama centred on a woman trapped by the pressures of a small provincial town in Russia.

Katia Kabanová is an opera of dramatic tone that sets its action in a small provincial Russian town, where the heroine lives under the stern gaze of her mother-in-law and of a community that watches her every move. The conflict between personal will and social and family norms is the axis of the story, which unfolds in an intense register and with a sustained emotional weight from beginning to end.

As a lyric show, the production relies on singing and music to articulate the drama: the solo voices, the orchestra and the staging work together to convey the isolation and pressure suffered by the heroine. It is a fitting choice for anyone seeking operatic repertoire of a psychological bent, and for those who enjoy stories of contained tension.

The Teatro Real in Madrid is the stage on which it is performed, a theatre that hosts concerts and shows throughout the season.