Tango of lost innocence (*****½)

Krzysztof Warlikowski directs Katia Kabanova in Munich [live]

Corinne Winters as Katia © Geoffrroy Schied

“Is the opera a work of social criticism in the 19 century naturalistic tradition ? Or is it rather a modern drama about psychological destruction ? Is the faith of Katia intended by Janacek to be seen as a beacon for social progress and humanitarian reform? Or is it a personal account of neurotic collapse ? Is the reality of the social background crucial or incidental? Do Russia, the Volga, the date, matter ?” David Pountney once wondered about this. That pretty much sums up the options for a modern director of Katia Kabanova.