Janacek, L.: Kat'A Kabanova (Sung in German) (E. Richter) (1949) (Staatskapelle Dresden Edition, Vol. 16)
1/1/2006, 10 Tracks, 1:41:45
Featuring
Elfriede Trötschel
Helmut Schindler
Helena Rott
Heinrich Pflanzl
Karl-Heinz Thomann
Erich Zimmermann
Ruth Lange
Werner Faulhaber
Sieglinde Gossmann
Käte Höfgen
Ernst Richter
Sächsische Staatskapelle Dresden
Sächsischer Staatsopernchor Dresden
Leoš Janáček
Did you know?
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Composition History
Janáček wrote the libretto for his opera "Katya Kabanova" himself in Czech, based on Aleksandr Nikolayevich Ostrovsky's drama "Groza" (The Thunderstorm), after being deeply moved by the protagonist's fate.
Historical Context
The Dresden premiere of "Katya Kabanova" in 1949 occurred in a city still in ruins from the war, where people were starving, freezing, and had to bring a briquette as part of their admission fee to the theatre.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Leoš Janáček, the composer, dedicated "Katya Kabanova" to Kamila Stösslová-Neumannová, a wealthy, unhappily married Jewess from Pisek with whom he had an intense relationship, stating, "My Katya grows in her, in her, Kamila... I have known no greater love than that for her. To her I dedicate this work!"
Cultural Impact
Max Brod, a Prague author and friend of Franz Kafka, was instrumental in bringing Janáček's operas to European stages and also translated the libretto for "Katya Kabanova" into German.
Recording & Production
The original master tapes of this 1949 recording were deleted by Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk to be reused, likely due to tape shortages or political reasons, but a single copy survived in the Berlin Radio Archive.
Recording & Production
This recording of Janáček's "Katya Kabanova" was made in 1949 in the Steinsaal of the Dresden Hygiene Museum, using pre-war equipment and "Tonschreiber" from the Wehrmacht.
Critical Reception
Despite promising reviews for its premiere, Janáček's "Katya Kabanova" was met with significant reserve by the Dresden audience in 1949 and was removed after only six performances.
