One of the highlights from the 2011 Salzburg Festival. With Angela Denoke in the lead role, this emotionally powerful opera was given superior treatment at the hands of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra under Esa-Pekka Salonen. The staging by Christoph Marthaler received fantastic reviews from all over the world.
Janáček’s absorbing masterpiece The Makropulos Case reflects all the dominant musical styles of the early 20th century, from Bohemian tunefulness to big Straussian phrases, Berg-like jaggedness and primeval rhythms.
Running Time Total: 135 minutes
Picture 16:9, HD
BD: DTS-HD MA 5.1, PCM Stereo
Sung in Czech (original language), English, German, French, Spanish, Chinese, Korean subtitles
June 2012
****
“The vocal performances are nearly all compelling. The men - Janacek's usual weak and neurotic bunch - are entirely believable...Both the lead and female roles are remarkably complete. Jurgita Adamonyte as the starry-eyed Krista, delivers abundant ravishing tone, and Angela Denoke is an utterly credible Marty: commanding elegantly seductive and exuding a poignantly believable world weariness.”
May 2012
“the Prelude is done with energy and a fine sense of Janacek's gritty, brilliantly lit orchestral writing...[Denoke] is vocally strong as well as having a striking stage presence: mysterious in the first and vulnerable in the last...Very's Albert Gregor is accurately sung and well characterized: Gregor is a hopelessly weak figure, in thrall to Marty and ridiculed by her. Very captures this astutely and sings the taxing role with a welcome lack of strain.”
August 2012
“Musically this is a very fine version of The Makropulos Affair. It’s dominated by the superb presence of the Vienna Philharmonic in the pit. They’re Salzburg regulars but here they cast a special magic over a score that can sometimes sound jagged or fragmentary...[Denoke] commands the stage with her charismatic presence...her voice is superb, rich and beautiful with a lovely bloom that helps to suggest the character’s great experience”
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