Katya Kabanova Is an Opera

Katya Kabanova is an opera that is presented in three unique acts. It is based on "The Storm" which is a play by Aleksandr Ostrovsky. It is an opera that is full of rich, exciting, and unique sound and story. This Opera was performed on November 22, 2009 in Civic Opera Chicago. It was a very earthy drama that strongly demonstrated social and sexual repression in a Russian town. The entire opera was 2 hours and 5 minutes of unique and exciting sound and story.

During Katya Kabanova approximately 16 different pieces were played within 3 separate acts. These pieces were performed by a full orchestra that contain a wide variation of strong instrumentation. In the string section, there were many violins, cellos, and basses. The strings added a rich tone to the pieces giving them a sense of excitement and intense feeling. The woodwind section included instruments such as the flutes, the clarinets, oboes, and saxophone. The woodwind section added depth to the pieces with their variation in tone and sound quality. Next, the percussion section included several large and small drums that held the listeners attention throughout the entire opera. It appeared that the percussion section was the section that moved the opera long throughout the show. Finally, the brass section contained trumpets, trombones, french horns and tubas. These sounds were vibrant and brought the opera to life. The orchestra was able to successfully match its volume and tone with the voices of the singers. During this opera, I was a very attentive listener. I felt that the sounds of the orchestra mixed with the sounds of the voices created the sense of feeling. One could almost feel the feelings of the characters because the music was able to portray this sense due to its superior balance, tone, and workmanship.

Katya Kabanova had three separate acts that featured breathtaking songs and sounds. Act 1 was set up into 2 acts. This act introduces Katya and her feelings about her marriage. She feels she is trapped in a bad marriage and is on the brink of committing adultery. The music was able to portray her agony by using slower tempo and volume. It portrayed a sense of unhappiness. The melody and harmony worked together to create the sense of sadness and despair. The mean mother-in-law was demonstrated by pulsating drums and louder instruments such as the trumpets and tubas. Katya does not really want to have an affair, but she cannot handle the controlling mother-in-law much more. When her husband decides to leave town on business, she begs him to take her with him. But he refuses. This desperation is strongly brought forth by the various string and brass instruments. The purpose of the first act was to set the scene for the listener. It created a sense of feeling and allowed the listener to enter the heart and mind of Katya as she begins to tell her story.

Act 2 also contained 2 different scenes. Act 2 was the actual adultery scene. This is where Katya meets Boris in the garden for the first time and although she feels guilty, she admits that she does love Boris. The music during this act was more peaceful than the first act. The melody and harmony were a little more cheerful and at times, romantic. The orchestra played in such a way that the listener could close his eyes and imagine a garden on a spring day full of singing birds and beautiful flowers. The use of this type of music forced the listener to imagine the beauty of a new love and the excitement of doing something wrong and not fearing its consequences. The volume was moderate to soft and it created an atmosphere of peace and tranquility. The purpose was to describe the beauty of the relationship that was forming between Katya and Boris

Finally, Act 3 also contained 2 separate scenes. This is where the climax of the opera took place. It is when Tikhon, Katya's husband returns and finds her missing at first. The music and words here portray a sense of confusion as he wonders where his wife is. It also sounded a little angry as he was also angry at her disappearance. Later in scene 2 of act 3, Katya confesses her adultery to her husband and mother-in-law and she actually names Boris as her partner. Tikhon really does not say much at this point, but Katya has a need to see Boris. When she does see him, he tells her that his uncle is sending him away and he will never see her again. She is devastated and decides to kill herself by throwing herself into the river. The volume and tone of the harmony and melody during this act are very loud and strong. The feelings of the characters in the opera are strongly displayed through the variation of the instrumentation of the orchestra. The opera ended on a sad note. The tone was quiet and sad as Katya laid dead.