La Monnaie is presenting a new production of  Leos Janacek famouse opera Katia Kabanova with a wonderful Evelyn Herlitzius in the titelrole, and Kurt Streit as Boris Grigorjevic. The Orchestre symphonic de la Monnaie conducted by Leo Hussain is sounding fantastic.

Unfortunately, in the beginning i thought that this production was dreadful, mostly because of the fleamarket look a like scenography, which didn’ t follow the “romantic” feeling that I have for Katia Kabanova and her difficulityes.

– But during the evening, when the play was being performed, it ended up as a succes, because of the wonderful singers/actors in all the roles. Headed by Renee Morloc as Kabanicha and John Graham-Hall as Tichon

. – The flea market scenography by Annette Murschetz, that i dont like continued, but, of course, I could see that it was working, – and I liked the rain in the second act, however it became better, and the last act was beautiful with the lights and the statue like figures on stage. – But I am against that some staging directors with their cooperating team, and the Opera directors has the strange idea often to try to put a history in to modern frames. Up on entering the stairs to an opera (or ballet or theatre) auditorium, the audience are preparing them self to enter to another world, then they are prepared to see something else than their daily world or surroundings, not to come to watch a history (well played in this case) going on at a flea market with costumes like from a flea market.

Andrea Breth has, jowever, done a good staging job, and this is an importent part of that the performance ended up as a success. I know that the role as Katia Kabanova, sung by the wonderful Evelyn Herlitzius, is a dramatic soprano role, and I see her difficulityes. But she started screaming all from the start, and then the effect of dramatising the expression of the role is being wrong. If she has started more softly, and then being dramatizing by screaming later, then the dramatic effect of the sreaming has been better. However, i suppose, that since she started screaming so early in the piuce is that the sound from the good orchestra, some times is very massive, perhaps a little pianissimo when possibe, would have given an even better musically effect.

I would have loved to have a break during the performance. For the respect of the audience, inclusive the preseidnt of EU, who was present, to go to the opera,  theatre, ballet or a concert it is a social event. People are dressing up beautifully, and are planning to have an evening out. Teherefore to have a break to have the possibility to socialise is importent. Therefore please dont stop the social way of the event for the audience.