The Makropulos Affair
Encyclopedia
The Makropulos AffairThe Makropulos Affair (or The Makropoulos Case, or The Makropulos Secret or, literally
, The Makropulos Thing; (Czech
Věc Makropulos) is a three-act opera
by Czech
composer
Leoš Janáček
. The libretto
, based on a play
of the same name
by Karel Čapek
, was written by the composer between 1923 and 1925.
The Makropulos Affair was his penultimate opera and, like much of his later work, it was inspired by his infatuation with Kamila Stösslová
, a married woman much younger than himself.
The world premiere of the opera was given at the National Theatre in Brno
on December 18, 1926, conducted
by František Neumann.
on 12 December 1922, and immediately saw its potential. He entered into a correspondence with Čapek, who was accommodating towards the idea, although legal problems in securing the rights to the play delayed work. When these problems were cleared on 10 September 1923, Janáček began work on the opera straight away. He wrote the libretto
himself, and by December 1924 had completed the first draft of the work. He spent another year refining the score, before completing it on 3 December 1925
.
Musically, much of the piece has little in the way of thematic development, instead presenting the listener with a mass of different motifs and ideas. Janáček's writings indicate that this was a deliberate ploy to give musical embodiment to the disruptive, unsettling main character Emilia Marty/Elina Makropulos. Only at the end of the final act, when Makropulos' vulnerability is revealed, does the music tap into and develop the rich lyrical vein that has driven the music throughout.
It is often argued that Emilia Marty, like the other female heroes in Janáček's later operas, stands for one of the aspects of Kamila Stösslová, the woman with whom he was in love for the last decade of his life. Marty, with a clever and manipulative exterior hiding a core of vulnerability, is a 'snapshot' of Stösslová, like the coquettish and shy Cunning Little Vixen
and the tragic Káťa Kabanová
.
in 1929, but it did not become really popular until a production by the Sadler's Wells company in London
in 1964. While performed with some regularity, it has not become part of the core opera repertory in the same way as have Jenůfa
, Káťa Kabanová
or The Cunning Little Vixen
.
In 1966, the San Francisco Opera
gave the first performances (in an English translation) of the opera in the U.S. with Marie Collier
in the lead role. Other notable sopranos who have performed the opera include Anja Silja
, Maralin Niska
(in Frank Corsaro
's production), Karan Armstrong
, and Jessye Norman
.
On January 5, 1996 the opening night of a Metropolitan Opera
production ended prematurely only a few minutes into Act 1 when tenor
Richard Versalle
, 63, suffered a heart attack while climbing the 20-foot ladder which was part of the set, fell, and died on stage immediately after singing Vitek's line: "Too bad you can only live so long".
During the end of the 16th century Emperor Rudolf II gave his alchemist Hieronymus Makropulos the task of preparing a potion that would extend his life and ordered him to test it on his daughter Elina. She fell into a coma and Hieronymus was sent to prison. But after a week Elina woke up and fled with the formula. She embarked on an itinerant life, becoming one of the best singers of all time.
Vitek, Kolenatý's clerk, notes that the probate
case of Gregor v. Prus has been going on for almost a century. Kolenatý represents the middle-class Gregors against the wealthy and aristocratic Prus family. Albert Gregor asks about the case. Vitek tells him Kolenatý has taken it to the Supreme Court, but has not returned. Vitek's daughter Kristina, enters. She is a young singer, and praises Emilia Marty, the famous singer she has been rehearsing with.
Kolenatý returns, accompanied (surprisingly) by Emilia Marty, and reviews the case. Baron Joseph Ferdinand Prus died in 1827, leaving no will
or legitimate children. His cousin claimed the estate, but so did Albert's ancestor, Ferdinand Gregor, who asserted that the Baron had promised the estate to him. Here Emilia interrupts. Speaking with unusual familiarity of these long-ago events, she states that Ferdinand Gregor was the illegitimate son of Baron Joseph and opera singer Ellian MacGregor. Kolenatý says the case will finally be decided in favor of the Prus family, because there is no will. Emilia asks what would be required for Albert Gregor to win, and Kolenatý says the missing will. Emilia describes an old cupboard in the Prus mansion where important papers were kept (such as the will).
Kolenatý thinks Emilia is making up stories, but Albert insists he investigate at once. He leaves, and Albert tells Emilia that if he does not get the estate, he will be penniless and shoot himself. He is already infatuated with Emilia, and tries to make love to her. But Emilia, bored and indifferent, coldly refuses him. However, she asks his help in retrieving a document that will be found with the will.
Kolenatý returns with Jaroslav Prus. They found the will where Emilia said it would be, and Jaroslav congratulates Albert on his victory - if he can prove that Ferdinand Gregor was the Baron's illegitimate son Ferdinand. Emilia says she can prove that.
A stagehand and a cleaning woman discuss Emilia's extraordinary star performance the night before. Jaroslav enters, seeking Emilia, accompanied by his young son Janek, and Kristina.
Emilia enters, but spurns them all, including Janek, who falls under her spell, and Albert, who brings her expensive flowers. Old (and by now senile) Count Hauk-Šendorf enters, and thinks he recognizes Emilia as Eugenia Montez, a gypsy
woman with whom he had an affair in Andalusia
half a century before. Emilia tells him Eugenia is not dead, and in Spanish
, calls him by a pet name and asks him for a kiss.
All except Jaroslav leave. He demands an explanation of her strange interest in his family, and reveals that the mother of the Baron's child was recorded as "Elina Makropulos" - who might be the same as "Ellian MacGregor", whose love letters he has read. Only a descendant of "Ferdinand Makropoulos" can claim the estate. Emilia offers to buy a mysterious document found with the will, but Jaroslav refuses and leaves. Albert return and again pleads his love, but Emilia merely falls asleep, and Albert leaves. Janek returns, and Emilia asks him to get the document for her. Jaroslav overhears this, and orders Janek to leave, then agrees to provide the document himself if Emilia will spend the night with him.
Emilia and Jaroslav have spent the night together. Though Jaroslav was disappointed by Emilia's coldness, he gives her the envelope containing the document. They are informed that Janek has committed suicide due to his infatuation with Emilia. Jaroslav grieves, but Emilia is absolutely indifferent. Jaroslav hardly has time to express his anger at her reaction before Count Hauk-Šendorf enters, thinking that Jaroslav and Emilia are leaving for Spain
. Albert, Kolenatý, and Kristina enter, with a doctor who takes Count Hauk-Šendorf away. Kolenatý has noticed that Emilia's handwriting matches that of "Ellian MacGregor", and suspects her of forgery. They begin to search her papers and belongings. Emilia draws a pistol, but Albert disarms her. Emilia says she will explain after she dresses. The searchers find many documents and keepsakes, all bearing names with the initials "E.M." Jaroslav says that the handwriting of "Elina Makropulos" (on Ferdinand's birth certificate) also matches.
Emilia at last decides to tell the truth: she is Elina Makropulos, born in 1585. Emilia tells of the age-defying potion and how she has lived for three centuries. To conceal her longevity, she has assumed many identities: Eugenia Montez, Ekaterina Myshkin, Ellian McGregor, and others. She gave the formula to Baron Joseph, who placed it in the envelope for his son.
But the potion is finally wearing off. Elina wanted the formula to gain another 300 years of life. As the potion wears off and the first signs of old age appear on her face, they come to believe her. Elina has realized that perpetual youth has led her to exhausted apathy, and resolves to allow death to come naturally to her. Aging rapidly before the eyes of the astonished onlookers, she offers them the precious formula, but only Kristina takes it, to burn it in a candle flame. Elina expires as she recites the first words of the Lord's Prayer
in Greek
.
Literal translation
Literal translation, or direct translation, is the rendering of text from one language to another "word-for-word" rather than conveying the sense of the original...
, The Makropulos Thing; (Czech
Czech language
Czech is a West Slavic language with about 12 million native speakers; it is the majority language in the Czech Republic and spoken by Czechs worldwide. The language was known as Bohemian in English until the late 19th century...
Věc Makropulos) is a three-act opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
by Czech
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest....
composer
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
Leoš Janáček
Leoš Janácek
Leoš Janáček was a Czech composer, musical theorist, folklorist, publicist and teacher. He was inspired by Moravian and all Slavic folk music to create an original, modern musical style. Until 1895 he devoted himself mainly to folkloristic research and his early musical output was influenced by...
. The libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
, based on a play
Play (theatre)
A play is a form of literature written by a playwright, usually consisting of scripted dialogue between characters, intended for theatrical performance rather than just reading. There are rare dramatists, notably George Bernard Shaw, who have had little preference whether their plays were performed...
of the same name
The Makropulos Affair
The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair The Makropulos Affair (or The Makropoulos Case, or The Makropulos Secret or, literally, The Makropulos Thing; (Czech Věc Makropulos) is a three-act opera by Czech composer Leoš Janáček...
by Karel Čapek
Karel Capek
Karel Čapek was Czech writer of the 20th century.-Biography:Born in 1890 in the Bohemian mountain village of Malé Svatoňovice to an overbearing, emotional mother and a distant yet adored father, Čapek was the youngest of three siblings...
, was written by the composer between 1923 and 1925.
The Makropulos Affair was his penultimate opera and, like much of his later work, it was inspired by his infatuation with Kamila Stösslová
Kamila Stösslová
Kamila Stösslová holds an unusual place in music history. The composer Leoš Janáček, upon meeting her in 1917 in the resort town of Luhačovice, fell deeply in love with her, despite both their marriages and the fact he was almost forty years older than Kamila...
, a married woman much younger than himself.
The world premiere of the opera was given at the National Theatre in Brno
Brno
Brno by population and area is the second largest city in the Czech Republic, the largest Moravian city, and the historical capital city of the Margraviate of Moravia. Brno is the administrative centre of the South Moravian Region where it forms a separate district Brno-City District...
on December 18, 1926, conducted
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
by František Neumann.
Composition history
Janáček's operatic version was written between 1923 and 1925. He had seen the play early in its run in PraguePrague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
on 12 December 1922, and immediately saw its potential. He entered into a correspondence with Čapek, who was accommodating towards the idea, although legal problems in securing the rights to the play delayed work. When these problems were cleared on 10 September 1923, Janáček began work on the opera straight away. He wrote the libretto
Libretto
A libretto is the text used in an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata, or musical. The term "libretto" is also sometimes used to refer to the text of major liturgical works, such as mass, requiem, and sacred cantata, or even the story line of a...
himself, and by December 1924 had completed the first draft of the work. He spent another year refining the score, before completing it on 3 December 1925
1925 in music
-Events:* February 25 - Art Gillham - The Whispering Pianist records the first electrical recordings to be released for Columbia using the Western Electric system ....
.
Musically, much of the piece has little in the way of thematic development, instead presenting the listener with a mass of different motifs and ideas. Janáček's writings indicate that this was a deliberate ploy to give musical embodiment to the disruptive, unsettling main character Emilia Marty/Elina Makropulos. Only at the end of the final act, when Makropulos' vulnerability is revealed, does the music tap into and develop the rich lyrical vein that has driven the music throughout.
It is often argued that Emilia Marty, like the other female heroes in Janáček's later operas, stands for one of the aspects of Kamila Stösslová, the woman with whom he was in love for the last decade of his life. Marty, with a clever and manipulative exterior hiding a core of vulnerability, is a 'snapshot' of Stösslová, like the coquettish and shy Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen is an opera by Leoš Janáček, with a libretto adapted by the composer from a serialized novella by Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek, which was first published in the newspaper Lidové noviny.-Composition history:When Janáček discovered Těsnohlídek's...
and the tragic Káťa Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
.
Performance history
Two years after its premiere, the opera was given in Prague, and also in GermanyGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in 1929, but it did not become really popular until a production by the Sadler's Wells company in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
in 1964. While performed with some regularity, it has not become part of the core opera repertory in the same way as have Jenůfa
Jenufa
Jenůfa is an opera in three acts by Leoš Janáček to a Czech libretto by the composer, based on the play Její pastorkyňa by Gabriela Preissová. It was first performed at the Brno Theater, Brno, 21 January 1904...
, Káťa Kabanová
Káta Kabanová
Káťa Kabanová is an opera in three acts, with music by Leoš Janáček to a libretto by Vincenc Červinka, based on The Storm, a play by Alexander Ostrovsky. The opera was also largely inspired by Janáček's love for Kamila Stösslová...
or The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen
The Cunning Little Vixen is an opera by Leoš Janáček, with a libretto adapted by the composer from a serialized novella by Rudolf Těsnohlídek and Stanislav Lolek, which was first published in the newspaper Lidové noviny.-Composition history:When Janáček discovered Těsnohlídek's...
.
In 1966, the San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera
San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America...
gave the first performances (in an English translation) of the opera in the U.S. with Marie Collier
Marie Collier
Marie Collier was an Australian operatic soprano.Marie Collier was born in Ballarat, Victoria. She first came to prominence in 1952 singing the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana for the National Theatre Opera company in Melbourne...
in the lead role. Other notable sopranos who have performed the opera include Anja Silja
Anja Silja
Anja Silja Regina Langwagen, , born April 17, 1940, in Berlin, is a German soprano who is known for her great abilities as a singing-actress and for the vastness of her repertoire....
, Maralin Niska
Maralin Niska
Maralin Niska is an acclaimed operatic soprano, well known as a singing-actress.Born in San Pedro, California, Niska studied under Louise Mansfield, Lotte Lehmann, and primarily Ernest St. John Metz...
(in Frank Corsaro
Frank Corsaro
Frank Corsaro is one of America's foremost stage directors of opera and theatre. His Broadway productions include The Night of the Iguana ....
's production), Karan Armstrong
Karan Armstrong
Karan Armstrong is an American operatic soprano who has had an active international career since the 1960s.-Biography:...
, and Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman
Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music...
.
On January 5, 1996 the opening night of a Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
production ended prematurely only a few minutes into Act 1 when tenor
Tenor
The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
Richard Versalle
Richard Versalle
Richard Versalle was an American operatic tenor, who had an international career including performances at the Bayreuth Festival and the Vienna State Opera. He died while singing in a performance of The Makropulos Case, at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.-Biography:Versalle was born in...
, 63, suffered a heart attack while climbing the 20-foot ladder which was part of the set, fell, and died on stage immediately after singing Vitek's line: "Too bad you can only live so long".
Roles
| Role | Voice type | Premiere cast, December 18, 1926 (Conductor: František Neumann) |
|---|---|---|
| Emilia Marty, formerly Elina Makropulos, a celebrated singer | soprano Soprano A soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody... |
Alexandra Čvanová Alexandra Čvanová Alexandra Čvanová was a Ukrainian operatic soprano, the creator of roles in operas by Leoš Janáček and Pavel Haas.... |
| Albert Gregor | tenor Tenor The tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2... |
Emil Olšovský |
| Dr Kolenatý, a lawyer | bass-baritone Bass-baritone A bass-baritone is a high-lying bass or low-lying "classical" baritone voice type which shares certain qualities with the true baritone voice. The term arose in the late 19th century to describe the particular type of voice required to sing three Wagnerian roles: the Dutchman in Der fliegende... |
Ferdinand Pour |
| Vítek, Kolenatý's clerk | tenor | Valentin Šindler |
| Kristina, his daughter, a young singer | soprano | Jožka Mattesová |
| Baron Jaroslav Prus | baritone Baritone Baritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or... |
Zdeněk Otava Zdeněk Otava Zdeněk Otava was a Czech operatic baritone who had a length career at the Prague National Theatre that spanned more than four decades... |
| Janek, his son | tenor | Antonín Pelc |
| Count Hauk-Šendorf | tenor | Václav Šindler |
| a Stage Technician | baritone | Jaroslav Čihák |
| a Cleaning Woman | alto Alto Alto is a musical term, derived from the Latin word altus, meaning "high" in Italian, that has several possible interpretations.When designating instruments, "alto" frequently refers to a member of an instrumental family that has the second highest range, below that of the treble or soprano. Hence,... |
Jelena Ježičová |
| a Maid | alto | |
| Offstage male chorus | ||
Synopsis
Background:During the end of the 16th century Emperor Rudolf II gave his alchemist Hieronymus Makropulos the task of preparing a potion that would extend his life and ordered him to test it on his daughter Elina. She fell into a coma and Hieronymus was sent to prison. But after a week Elina woke up and fled with the formula. She embarked on an itinerant life, becoming one of the best singers of all time.
Act 1
Kolenatý's law office, Prague, 1922Vitek, Kolenatý's clerk, notes that the probate
Probate
Probate is the legal process of administering the estate of a deceased person by resolving all claims and distributing the deceased person's property under the valid will. A probate court decides the validity of a testator's will...
case of Gregor v. Prus has been going on for almost a century. Kolenatý represents the middle-class Gregors against the wealthy and aristocratic Prus family. Albert Gregor asks about the case. Vitek tells him Kolenatý has taken it to the Supreme Court, but has not returned. Vitek's daughter Kristina, enters. She is a young singer, and praises Emilia Marty, the famous singer she has been rehearsing with.
Kolenatý returns, accompanied (surprisingly) by Emilia Marty, and reviews the case. Baron Joseph Ferdinand Prus died in 1827, leaving no will
Will (law)
A will or testament is a legal declaration by which a person, the testator, names one or more persons to manage his/her estate and provides for the transfer of his/her property at death...
or legitimate children. His cousin claimed the estate, but so did Albert's ancestor, Ferdinand Gregor, who asserted that the Baron had promised the estate to him. Here Emilia interrupts. Speaking with unusual familiarity of these long-ago events, she states that Ferdinand Gregor was the illegitimate son of Baron Joseph and opera singer Ellian MacGregor. Kolenatý says the case will finally be decided in favor of the Prus family, because there is no will. Emilia asks what would be required for Albert Gregor to win, and Kolenatý says the missing will. Emilia describes an old cupboard in the Prus mansion where important papers were kept (such as the will).
Kolenatý thinks Emilia is making up stories, but Albert insists he investigate at once. He leaves, and Albert tells Emilia that if he does not get the estate, he will be penniless and shoot himself. He is already infatuated with Emilia, and tries to make love to her. But Emilia, bored and indifferent, coldly refuses him. However, she asks his help in retrieving a document that will be found with the will.
Kolenatý returns with Jaroslav Prus. They found the will where Emilia said it would be, and Jaroslav congratulates Albert on his victory - if he can prove that Ferdinand Gregor was the Baron's illegitimate son Ferdinand. Emilia says she can prove that.
Act 2
The empty stage of the opera houseA stagehand and a cleaning woman discuss Emilia's extraordinary star performance the night before. Jaroslav enters, seeking Emilia, accompanied by his young son Janek, and Kristina.
Emilia enters, but spurns them all, including Janek, who falls under her spell, and Albert, who brings her expensive flowers. Old (and by now senile) Count Hauk-Šendorf enters, and thinks he recognizes Emilia as Eugenia Montez, a gypsy
Roma
- Places :Italy* Rome, the capital of Italy, is called Roma in Italian and some other languages* Roma Tre University, a university located in Rome, Italy, and founded in 1992...
woman with whom he had an affair in Andalusia
Andalusia
Andalusia is the most populous and the second largest in area of the autonomous communities of Spain. The Andalusian autonomous community is officially recognised as a nationality of Spain. The territory is divided into eight provinces: Huelva, Seville, Cádiz, Córdoba, Málaga, Jaén, Granada and...
half a century before. Emilia tells him Eugenia is not dead, and in Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, calls him by a pet name and asks him for a kiss.
All except Jaroslav leave. He demands an explanation of her strange interest in his family, and reveals that the mother of the Baron's child was recorded as "Elina Makropulos" - who might be the same as "Ellian MacGregor", whose love letters he has read. Only a descendant of "Ferdinand Makropoulos" can claim the estate. Emilia offers to buy a mysterious document found with the will, but Jaroslav refuses and leaves. Albert return and again pleads his love, but Emilia merely falls asleep, and Albert leaves. Janek returns, and Emilia asks him to get the document for her. Jaroslav overhears this, and orders Janek to leave, then agrees to provide the document himself if Emilia will spend the night with him.
Act 3
Emila's hotel room the next morningEmilia and Jaroslav have spent the night together. Though Jaroslav was disappointed by Emilia's coldness, he gives her the envelope containing the document. They are informed that Janek has committed suicide due to his infatuation with Emilia. Jaroslav grieves, but Emilia is absolutely indifferent. Jaroslav hardly has time to express his anger at her reaction before Count Hauk-Šendorf enters, thinking that Jaroslav and Emilia are leaving for Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. Albert, Kolenatý, and Kristina enter, with a doctor who takes Count Hauk-Šendorf away. Kolenatý has noticed that Emilia's handwriting matches that of "Ellian MacGregor", and suspects her of forgery. They begin to search her papers and belongings. Emilia draws a pistol, but Albert disarms her. Emilia says she will explain after she dresses. The searchers find many documents and keepsakes, all bearing names with the initials "E.M." Jaroslav says that the handwriting of "Elina Makropulos" (on Ferdinand's birth certificate) also matches.
Emilia at last decides to tell the truth: she is Elina Makropulos, born in 1585. Emilia tells of the age-defying potion and how she has lived for three centuries. To conceal her longevity, she has assumed many identities: Eugenia Montez, Ekaterina Myshkin, Ellian McGregor, and others. She gave the formula to Baron Joseph, who placed it in the envelope for his son.
But the potion is finally wearing off. Elina wanted the formula to gain another 300 years of life. As the potion wears off and the first signs of old age appear on her face, they come to believe her. Elina has realized that perpetual youth has led her to exhausted apathy, and resolves to allow death to come naturally to her. Aging rapidly before the eyes of the astonished onlookers, she offers them the precious formula, but only Kristina takes it, to burn it in a candle flame. Elina expires as she recites the first words of the Lord's Prayer
Lord's Prayer
The Lord's Prayer is a central prayer in Christianity. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, it appears in two forms: in the Gospel of Matthew as part of the discourse on ostentation in the Sermon on the Mount, and in the Gospel of Luke, which records Jesus being approached by "one of his...
in Greek
Greek language
Greek is an independent branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Native to the southern Balkans, it has the longest documented history of any Indo-European language, spanning 34 centuries of written records. Its writing system has been the Greek alphabet for the majority of its history;...
.
Recordings
| Year | Cast: Emilia, Gregor, Kolenatý, Vítek, Kristina, Jaroslav Prus, Janek |
Conductor, Opera House and Orchestra |
Label |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | Zdenka Hrncirova, Beno Blachut Beno Blachut Beno Blachut was a lauded Czech operatic tenor. An icon in his own nation, Blachut drew international acclaim through his many commercial recordings of Czech music. He was an instrumental part of the post-World War II school of Czech opera singers that were responsible for popularizing Czech opera... , Rudolf Asmus, ??, Milada Musilová, Theodor Srubar, Rudolf Vonásek |
Jaroslav Vogel Jaroslav Vogel Jaroslav Vogel was a Czech conductor, composer and writer. He was principal conductor of the Brno Philharmonic Orchestra from 1959 to 1962.... , Prague National Theatre National Theatre (Prague) The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished... Chorus and Orchestra |
LP: Supraphon. Excerpts only: Act 1 fig. 102 to end; Act 2 fig. 9 to fig. 25; Act 3, fig. 112 to end. |
| 1966 | Libuse Prylova, Ivo Žídek Ivo Žídek Ivo Žídek was a celebrated Czech lyric tenor, known for his vivid portrayals of character roles in the operas of Smetana, Dvorák and Janáček.-Early life:... , Karel Berman Karel Berman Karel Berman was a Jewish Czech opera singer, composer and opera director.- Life :... , Rudolf Vonasek, Helena Tattermuschová Helena Tattermuschová Helena Tattermuschová is a Czech lyric coloratura soprano, known chiefly for her character roles in the operas of Mozart and Janáček.... , Přemysl Kočí Přemysl Kočí Přemysl Kočí was a Czech operatic baritone, actor, music educator, stage director, theater manager and official of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia.-Biography:... , Viktor Koci |
Bohumil Grégor, Prague National Theatre National Theatre (Prague) The National Theatre in Prague is known as the Alma Mater of Czech opera, and as the national monument of Czech history and art.The National Theatre belongs to the most important Czech cultural institutions, with a rich artistic tradition which was created and maintained by the most distinguished... Chorus and Orchestra |
LP and Audio CD: Supraphon |
| 1971 | Marie Collier Marie Collier Marie Collier was an Australian operatic soprano.Marie Collier was born in Ballarat, Victoria. She first came to prominence in 1952 singing the role of Santuzza in Cavalleria rusticana for the National Theatre Opera company in Melbourne... , Gregory Dempsey, Eric Shilling Eric Shilling Eric Shilling was an English opera singer and producer, long associated with English National Opera. He was married to the soprano Erica Johns, and their son is George Shilling.-Life and career:... , Francis Egerton, Barbara Walker, Raimund Herincx Raimund Herincx Raimund Frederick Herincx is a British operatic bass baritone. Throughout a varied international career, Herincx performed in most of the world's great opera houses and with many of the world's leading symphony orchestras, having been in demand in international opera and in the choral and... , David Hillman David Hillman David Hillman was an English operatic tenor who sang with all the leading opera companies in the United Kingdom.- Early career :David Hillman was born in London, England... |
Charles Mackerras Charles Mackerras Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan... , Sadler's Wells Opera Sadler's Wells Theatre Sadler's Wells Theatre is a performing arts venue located in Rosebery Avenue, Clerkenwell in the London Borough of Islington. The present day theatre is the sixth on the site since 1683. It consists of two performance spaces: a 1,500 seat main auditorium and the Lilian Baylis Studio, with extensive... Chorus and Orchestra |
Audio CD: Oriel Music Society (Performed in English) |
| 1976 | Anja Silja Anja Silja Anja Silja Regina Langwagen, , born April 17, 1940, in Berlin, is a German soprano who is known for her great abilities as a singing-actress and for the vastness of her repertoire.... , William Lewis, Joshua Hecht Joshua Hecht Joshua Hecht is an operatic bass of international stature. Born in New York City, the son of Russian Jewish immigrants, he received a Bachelor of Arts from New York University, in 1951.... Raymond Manton, Pamela South, Geraint Evans Geraint Evans Sir Geraint Llewellyn Evans was a Welsh baritone or bass-baritone noted for operatic roles including Figaro in Le nozze di Figaro, Papageno in Die Zauberflöte, and the title roles in Falstaff and Wozzeck... , Neil Rosenheim |
Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi Christoph von Dohnányi is a German conductor of Hungarian ancestry.- Youth and World War II :Dohnányi was born in Berlin, Germany to jurist Hans von Dohnányi and Christine Bonhoeffer. His uncle on his mother's side was Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran pastor and theologian/ethicist... , San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera San Francisco Opera is an American opera company, based in San Francisco, California.It was founded in 1923 by Gaetano Merola and is the second largest opera company in North America... Chorus and Orchestra |
Live broadcast and Audio CD: (Performed in English). |
| 1978 | Elisabeth Söderström Elisabeth Söderström Elisabeth Anna Söderström CBE was a Swedish soprano, who performed both opera and song. She was particularly well known for her recordings of the lead soprano roles in the three Janáček operas Jenůfa, Káťa Kabanová, and The Makropoulos Affair, all of which received Gramophone Awards... , Peter Dvorský Peter Dvorský Peter Dvorský is a Slovak operatic tenor. Possessing a lyrical voice with a soft, elastic tone, and warm and melodious timbre, Dvorský's repertoire concentrates on roles from the Italian and Slavic repertories.... , Dalibor Jedlička, Vladimír Krejčík, Anna Czaková, Václav Zítek Václav Zítek Václav Zítek is a Czech opera singer. A lyric baritone with a beautiful timbre and a wide vocal range, he was one of the leading Czech singers of the postwar generation. He particularly excelled in portraying Janáček and Smetana heroes... , Zdeněk Švehla |
Charles Mackerras Charles Mackerras Sir Alan Charles Maclaurin Mackerras, AC, CH, CBE was an Australian conductor. He was an authority on the operas of Janáček and Mozart, and the comic operas of Gilbert and Sullivan... , Wiener Staatsopernchor Vienna State Opera The Vienna State Opera is an opera house – and opera company – with a history dating back to the mid-19th century. It is located in the centre of Vienna, Austria. It was originally called the Vienna Court Opera . In 1920, with the replacement of the Habsburg Monarchy by the First Austrian... (chorus master: Helmuth Froschauer), Wiener Philharmoniker |
LP and Audio CD: Decca |
| 1989 | Stephanie Sundine, Graham Clark, Robert Orth, Richard Margison Richard Margison Richard Charles Margison, OC is a Canadian operatic tenor. Margison was named an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2001 and lives in Toronto, Canada.- External links :** at The Canadian Encyclopedia... , Kathleen Brett, Cornelius Opthof Benoit Boutet |
Berislav Klobucar, Canadian Opera Company Canadian Opera Company The Canadian Opera Company is an opera company in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest opera company in Canada and the third largest producer of opera in North America. The COC performs in its own opera house, the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.-History:For 40 years until... Lotfi Mansouri Lotfi Mansouri Lotfollah “Lotfi” Mansouri is an Iranian-born opera director and manager. He was an opera director from about 1960 onwards, and is most well known for being the General Director of the Canadian Opera Company and of the San Francisco Opera from 1988 through 2001... (stage director) |
VHS Video: Pickwick Video |
| 1995 | Anja Silja Anja Silja Anja Silja Regina Langwagen, , born April 17, 1940, in Berlin, is a German soprano who is known for her great abilities as a singing-actress and for the vastness of her repertoire.... , Kim Begley, Andrew Shore Andrew Shore Andrew Shore, is an English operatic baritone.After studying at the Royal Northern College of Music and the London Opera Centre, he sang with Opera For All... , Anthony Roden, Manuela Kriscak, Victor Braun Victor Braun Victor Conrad Braun was a Canadian baritone who had a major international performance career in concerts and operas that lasted more than 40 years... , Christopher Ventris Christopher Ventris Christopher Ventris is a British tenor. He is particularly known for his role as Parsifal which he performed at the Bayreuth Festival in 2008.... |
Andrew Davis Andrew Davis (conductor) Sir Andrew Frank Davis CBE is a British conductor.Born in Ashridge, Hertfordshire to Robert J. Davis and his wife Florence J. née Badminton, Davis grew up in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, and in Watford. Davis attended Watford Boys' Grammar School, where he studied classics in his sixth form years... , London Philharmonic Orchestra London Philharmonic Orchestra The London Philharmonic Orchestra , based in London, is one of the major orchestras of the United Kingdom, and is based in the Royal Festival Hall. In addition, the LPO is the main resident orchestra of the Glyndebourne Festival Opera... , Glyndebourne Festival Glyndebourne Festival Opera Glyndebourne Festival Opera is an English opera festival held at Glyndebourne, an English country house near Lewes, in East Sussex, England.-History:... Nikolaus Lehnhoff (stage director) |
VHS & DVD: Warner Music Vision |
| 1996 | Jessye Norman Jessye Norman Jessye Norman is an American opera singer. Norman is a well-known contemporary opera singer and recitalist, and is one of the highest paid performers in classical music... , Graham Clark, Donald McIntyre Donald McIntyre This page is about the singer. For others of similar name see Donald MacIntyreSir Donald McIntyre, CBE is a celebrated operatic bass-baritone. He made his formal debut as Zaccaria in Nabucco, at the Welsh National Opera, in 1959... , Ronald Naldi Ronald Naldi Ronald Naldi is an American lyric tenor who has performed on the stages of the Metropolitan Opera, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Arena di Verona, L'Opéra Français, Salzburger Landestheater, and New Jersey State Opera, under the baton of maestri James Levine, Valery Gergiev, James Conlon, David Robertson,... , Marie Plette, Håkan Hagegård Håkan Hagegård Håkan Hagegård is a Swedish operatic baritone.He studied at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm and has performed on stages across the world, including Carnegie Hall, the London Royal Opera House, La Scala, the Metropolitan Opera, the Sydney Opera House, the Deutsche Oper Berlin, the Vienna... , William Burden |
David Robertson David Robertson (conductor) David Eric Robertson is an American conductor. He is currently the music director of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, and Principal Guest Conductor of the BBC Symphony Orchestra.-Early life:... , Metropolitan Opera Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager... Chorus and Orchestra |
Audio CD: Oriel Music Society (Performed in English) |