"The plot of Leos Janacek's The Makropulos Case, despite involving a centuries old will, a host of romantic lovers and a mysterious opera star, is not meant to be confusing. Despite this, if you see Katie Mitchell's new staging of the opera, you may want to refresh your memory of the original plot and also read up on Mitchell's reimagining, as without them, you'll be wondering what the hell is going on."
"Janacek's original plot for The Makropulos Case, which he adapted from a play of the same name by his fellow Czech countryman Karel Capek, begins in a lawyer's office. The lawyer Kolenaty represents the Gregors in a case against the Prus family, in a dispute over a fortune that has been going on for over a century. When the mysterious opera singer Emily Marty shows up, she divulges information about the case that is oddly specific she knows where the will is."
"As the Royal Opera orchestra starts its sharp descent into Janacek's thriller, it is the cold unflinching modernity of his score that grips the senses. The folkish folly of his earlier operas only appears in glimpses; this is a cooler, almost detached opera, confronting the human condition. Hrusa is at home here, keeping the RBO orchestra in check, despite the thrilling jagged strings and stran"
Leos Janacek's The Makropulos Case centers on a centuries-old inheritance dispute complicated by the mysterious opera singer Emily Marty, who knows the will's location and the secret it conceals: a formula for prolonged life. The opera opens in a lawyer's office and evolves into a hunt for the hidden will and pressure on Emily to reveal her knowledge. Katie Mitchell stages a large-scale feminist reworking that significantly alters the original staging and narrative emphasis, producing mixed results. Musically, the score is cold, modern, and challenging; conductor Jakub Hrusa restrains a sharp, jagged orchestral texture that underscores the opera's detached exploration of the human condition.
Read at www.london-unattached.com
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