This October, Susanna Mälkki makes a triumphant return to L’Opéra national de Paris for Leoš Janáček’s penultimate opera, The Makropulos Case. Her previous performances conducting this work at the company in 2013 led Bachtrack to celebrate Mälkki “for keeping a tight orchestra throughout the performance, full of passionate swells and cautious descents into silent trepidation, bringing the audience to the heights of passion and the depths of despair felt by those on stage.”
This production, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, has garnered critical acclaim for its innovative take on the story. Warlikowski reimagines Emilia Marty as a figure inspired by Marilyn Monroe, injecting a touch of 1950s glamour into this science-fiction-like narrative of eternal youth. Collaborating with set and costume designer Małgorzata Szczęśniak, lighting designer Felice Ross, and video artist Denis Guéguin, Warlikowski transports the audience into this captivating world.
The world-class cast includes Karita Mattila portraying the enigmatic Emilia Marty, Pavel Černoch as Albert Gregor, Károly Szemerédy as Dr. Kolenatý, Johan Reuter as Jaroslav Prus, Nicholas Jones as Vítek, Ilanah Lobel-Torres as Krista, Cyrille Dubois as Janek, and Peter Bronder as Hauk-Šendorf.
Photo: Jiyang Chen