I am back from Katya - an evening of first class music theater combined with first class music making - not a regular state of affairs alas!  But this was one of those evenings where it mostly came together.  And what a pleasure it was. 

Karita Mattila is a rare thing indeed - in addition to assuming the title role in her whole being, she can actually sing it, with a glorious burnished tone and an expressiveness that is matchless.  She defies the years - she is hardly still the febrile 30 year old creature of the Ostrovsky play.  But who cares?  This is a transporting performance of the highest order.  And Brandon Jovanovich is the Boris for all time.  Could there be a better one, or even his equal?  I have seen so many performances of this opera - I don't believe we can get better than this. And this a young man from Billings, Montana.  

And I was delighted to see Jason Collins making his Lyric debut as a totally convincing Tikhon, Katya's husband.  His career started at COT in the title role of The Good Soldier Schweik in 2001.  He returned as Giove in Il ritorno d'Ulisse in 2007. And Judith Forst, a great Canadian singer (you know I adore them!) was the real thing as the mother in law......

So all in all a fine night at the opera.  All this combined with encounters with good friends and colleagues made it a perfect evening in Chicago!