Timothy Cheek succeeds brilliantly in giving his readers an exciting and richly detailed overview of how this Russian heroine came to life. I especially love the way he traces the musical love motive, illuminating its many transformations throughout the opera. The meat of this book is in the painstaking rendering of the Czech text into four rivers of information: the original text, the IPA pronunciation guide, the literal word-by-word translation, and the idiomatic rendition. Come journey through these rivers with Kát'a and be seduced!

Catherine Malfitano, Soprano, International Interpreter of Janácek roles

This guide for English-speaking singers, conductors, coaches, and stage directors clarifies the meaning of Janácek's Kátá Kabanová. Each line of the original Czech text of the libretti is presented, accompanied by both the literal and idiomatic translations as well as IPA pronunciations. The author discusses Janácek's musical style and offers background information on the opera and its characters in the introduction.

Reference and Research Book News

Today's artists must do more than simply have 'an idea' of the story and the text that is spoken. We as artists must infuse every role we portray with a real offering of ourselves...to this end Timothy Cheek has compiled what I consider to be an essential tool in accomplishing that task. Not only does he include extensive yet straightforward information about the background and context of the stories set to music, but he is also offering a viable set of tools to decode the phonetics AND literal meanings of the text and story, which gives the artist the ability to give a truly invested and unique performance of the role. Without such a tool, the very basic level of artistry cannot be achieved. I salute Timothy Cheek's efforts to clarify and enlighten this integral aspect of our art form.

Patricia Racette, Soprano, International Interpreter of Janácek roles