Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair is a tragic drama of immortality, death and purpose of life and features some of the composer’s most extreme and alluring music. This opera, which was last performed by Welsh National Opera in 1994 (a production by Sir David Pountney) marked his penultimate one and, like much of his later work, was inspired by his infatuation with Kamila Stösslová, a married woman less than half his age.
Marking the third and final instalment in our Janáček Series, our Autumn 2022 Season sees a brand-new production of this opera. We caught up with director Olivia Fuchs (Der Rosenkavalier) to find out more about this lesser-known masterpiece and the heroine at the centre of it all.
‘Emilia Marty, originally Elina Makropulos or E.M is one of the most enigmatic and compelling characters written for the stage. She is the epitome of stylishness and sophistication. Having lived for over three hundred years she has developed the exceptional power and charisma of a femme fatale who drives most of the male characters insane with passion. Her ability to shine a light on the lives of others acts like a magnifying glass or a distorting mirror illuminating flaws and potential alike.
Emilia Marty is compelling both as a character and as a symbol of our times. She embodies the metaphysical question of how we collectively deal with the reality and fear of aging and death. She embodies the tension between fact and fairy-tale, truth and falsehood, style and essence.
At the heart of The Makropulos Affair is an implied critique of the dehumanising potential of science when experiments interfere with the natural world without underlying ethics or a deeper understanding of the interconnection of all life. Always interested in the idea of nature’s renewal Janáček depicts Emilia Marty’s existential fragility at the end of the opera, and with this transformative ending encourages his audience to treasure and relish each moment of life.
The production reflects the elegance and texture of the 1920s, combining elements of detailed realism with a lyrical surrealism. Poetic, visually surprising and multi-layered, it moves fluidly from scene to scene exploring how we experience history through the layering of our individual and collective memories. It is almost 100 years since Vec Makropulos was first performed and it remains as life-affirming and relevant today.’
Olivia Fuch’s new production opens at Wales Millennium Centre on 16 September with soprano Angeles Blancas Gulin in the leading role. The production will be on tour until 2 December, visiting Llandudno, Plymouth, Birmingham, Southampton and Oxford. In addition, the production will also be performed internationally as part of the Brno Festival celebrating Janáček and his work in November 2022.