Katyaaxo is an American drag queen, actor and podcast host best known as one of the runners-up on RuPaul’s Drag Race All Stars 7 as well as co-host of Trixie & Katya on YouTube vlog style channel. Katya has been open about her struggles with addiction as she had to postpone an US tour for Trixie & Katya due to prioritising her health first.

Romaniw’s Katya excels with both emotional and vocal strength, riding Janacek’s full-blooded fortissimos with gusto and soars in its grandiose arias – but her brilliance shines most brightly when performing more restrained lyricism to reveal her character’s fragility and vulnerability.

Viskontas’ story unfolds in an idyllic rural town and serves as an allegory of women entrapment in an age when their lives were dictated by tradition. But Viskontas also encourages us to see this conflict as generational: older characters like Kabanicha (Magdalena Kozena) demand respect, fealty to tradition, and distrust technological innovation and science while younger characters such as Katya (Magdalena Kozena), Varvara and Boris (Benjamin Kudrjas) believe in authenticity, connection and hope – these characteristics exist both among older and younger characters alike.

SO’s lively reading of Janacek’s opera moves us directly, thanks largely to an exceptional cast. Mackerras’ 1977 recording with Elisabeth Soderstrom, Petr Dvorsky and Nadezhda Kniplova on Decca remains unparalleled; particularly moving is Mackerras’ interpretation of two short orchestral interludes added by Janacek that remain captivating today.