Die Sache Makropulos

Opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček (1854–1928)

To outwit death and become immortal – this is a dream as old as the history of humanity. But is eternal life really desirable? Is it not precisely the finite nature of life that makes it so precious? Either way, this is the experience of Emilia Marty, on whom an elixir to prolong life has been tested – and who has now lived in different countries under changing names (she was originally called Elina Makropulos) and identities for 337 years. The effect of the elixir begins to wear off, and initially, «Marty» – as the singer is also admiringly called – is willing to use any means to get her hands on the lost recipe for the potion. She also deploys her irresistible erotic appeal for the purpose, and men of all ages lose their heads for her by the dozen, while she remains completely unmoved. However, once the recipe is finally back in her possession, she realises that she no longer wants to live at all: «This terrible solitude! You’re weary of the good, weary of the bad… And you feel that your soul is dead inside.» Janáček first encountered Karel Čapek’s comedy Věc Makropulos (The Makropulos Affair) in 1922. At the time, the composer was fascinated by the icy coldness of the 337-year-old beauty, but in the course of his work on the opera he began to feel sympathy for the heroine of the title, who had had to live and bear her infinite isolation for so long. «I would like everyone to love her in the end,» he wrote. «For me, nothing works without love.»

This production will be directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, who has already presented exciting interpretations of Janáček’s Jenůfa and Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in Zurich. Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, a Janáček expert, will be débuting at Zurich Opera House. Furthermore, there will be reunion with Evelyn Herlitzius, who has already captivated Zurich audiences with her intense portrayal of Elektra.