Sideways rain may not be ideal for al fresco dining but could hardly be bettered as a prelude to JanáÄekâs heartbreakingly dismal Kátâa Kabanová. It was a raw, bracing piece with which to reopen after a cancelled 2020 season. As Glyndebourneâs chairman, Gus Christie, reminded the 50%-capacity audience before curtain-up: âIt really is a minor miracle that weâve got here.â
To be clear: Kátâa Kabanová is not a feelgood opera. Yet if watching a work about a woman trapped in a miserable marriage, who falls in love and is driven to kill herself could ever be described as pleasurable, this opening night came close.