Review - The Makropulos Case (Janáček), National Theatre Brno, 2017 Hong Kong Arts Festival

Emilia Marty - Annalena Persson
Albert Gregor - Aleš Briscein
Vítek - Petr Levíček
Kristina - Eva Štěrbová
Jaroslav Prus - Svatopluk Sem
Dr Kolenatý - František Ďuriač
Janek - Peter Račko
A Stage Technician - Jiří Klecker
A Cleaning Woman - Jitka Zerhauová
Hauk-Šendorf - Jan Markvart
Chambermaid - Jana Hrochová

Orchestra and Chorus of the Janáček Opera of the National Theatre Brno

Marko Ivanović (Conductor)
David Radok (Director)

The purpose and cost of longevity is interpreted with fascination and strangeness in Janáček's The Makropulos Case. Emilia Makropulous, the protagonist, disguised herself through centuries in different forms and engineered her path to eternity carefully. The tale is presented as a detective story to unfold the past and secrets through sequence of actions. It all culminates to a sympathetic understanding of Marty's fate, yet the development can be seen bizarre at first encounter. Despite David Radok's production convention by outlook, the dramaturgy was able to realise the transformation of realism into a surreal and dramatic end. The law office scene was where all the main characters being introduced, and Marty surprised everyone by solving an inheritance dispute with all the missing information that no one knows. Her entry into office was also random, but yet she made a logical and cool impression in helping out Gregor.

The symmetrical office space gradually changed into theatre sets at a backstage in act two. Marty's reception of her male admirers varied and more welcoming to older ones. She remained blunt to Gregor, who did not know he was her son, and even threw the bouquet to floor after he sent her with affection. Yet kind towards her old acquaintance Šendorf when he recalled her as a gypsy in his youth. She in turn sexually subdued Prus, who wanted to reveal the secrets of her past, but that led to his son Janek's suicide, who was tormented and overwhelmed by his secret affection for her. She was manipulative and cruel in order to obtain the formula to prolong her life by all means.

By last act only a bed left with a sink and dressing desk next to an open corridor. Although Marty acquired the prescription list from Prus, she became lost and emotional when Kolenatý questioned of her past. Despite long life kept her soul alive, physically she was a living dead and yearned for salvation by reciting the first line of the Lord's prayer. The complex personality of Marty was also inspired by Kamila Stösslová, who kept a friendly distance from Janáček even he was strongly attracted to. The Makropulos Case was also arguably a romanticised portrayal of his entanglements than simply a novel fascination of age. He seems on purpose to complain Stösslová's coolness towards him, but the same time his fascination of her was given a heroine treatment.

Musically, the orchestra was underwhelming and sloppy at the first evening. Whether to do with the layout of winds on one side and strings the other, the brass fanfare in the overture did not project well and sounded unsure. Later the band dragged the tempo throughout act one and lacked direction in its playing. Muffled sound produced by the horns and woodwinds were at times chaotic in coordination. In act two, the orchestra was often a fraction behind the singers and the produced tone rather thin in body. Some improvement in the last act for tidier playing but the momentum did not always flow naturally. The end was again underwhelming and far from producing the impact as it slowed down too much. It was more successful the following night in terms of precision and more bites during the horns' melodic section. There was more shapes in the music and the brass were able to deliver the dramatic impact.

Annalena Persson, as Marty, did not possess a rich tone and lacked the desired warmth. The climb to the higher vocal register was not smooth especially in the lyrical and expressive last act. Tuning was shaky and the first attempt was crying out the notes than singing it. Lesser vibrato in the second evening improved the articulation but diction remained blurry. Her tessitura was more comfortable and secured in the mid range and effective as an actress. A vivid portrayal of Marty by capturing the contrast in emotions and characters in her dealing with men. She sustained the focus and intensity by turning the protagonist into an ultimate heroine. Aleš Briscein's Gregor was more natural in phrasing the text and music, which carried more direction and better intonation. Svatopluk Sem gave an intensive exchange when Prus threatened Marty of revealing her past while making sexual advance. Youthful timbre from Eva Štěrbová and Peter Račko produced a transparent tone with a bell like colour. Rest of the supportive roles were presentable with the ideal tone colour that suitable to their roles. As a whole, seeing the opera twice helped to understand the symbolism, but only an inspiring production and a stronger cast of singers would attract a future revisit.