Janacek - The Makropulos Case / Davis, Silja, Begley, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

I cannot argue with other reviewers' assessment of this DVD that it contains many musical felicities. The conducting by Andrew Davis (who has long demonstrated his affinity with this composer's dramatic works) is exemplary. The singing of the cast is certainly exceptional, and were this an audio-only performance, its dramatic flaws might have gone unnoticed. But, alas, I found Nicholas Lehnhoff's staging to be pedestrian, heavy-handed, and thoroughly lacking in subtlety. And, despite the praises it has garnered from various quarters, Brian Large's video production strikes this viewer as rather unimaginative, with composition after composition featuring one character almost directly upstage of another. . . . The acting from nearly every singer (Anja Silja being a notable exception) is fussy and overly gesticulated, a flaw that is exaggerated by the close up camera work. And while I'm on the subject, Silja's work may be remarkable for being strongly characterized and well sung, but she was in her mid-50s when this was filmed and it is impossible (for me at least) to buy her as a young-looking femme-fatale who has men of all ages pining for her. Her character Emilia Marty reveals that she was sixteen when her father administered the fatal potion that has enabled her to live to the age of 337. She has taken many lovers over the centuries, but has had to leave them one by one after about 20 years, because they have aged while she has not. How are we to suspend our disbelief to the point of accepting that this woman (as embodied by Silja, with her deeply wrinkled face and neck) has not lost the blush and perfection of her youth? Musically strong, but if you care about the dramatic values in opera as I do, you might want to consider buying the DVD of "Jenufa"--better cast, better staged, and better filmed.

I'm a major Janacek fan. I'd love to give this performance a five-star rave, as others have, but I find myself agreeing with the three-star reviews. Anja Silja (the Alma Mahler of our times) is a powerful femme; it's almost believable that even in her obvious 60s she could attract those men and boys fatally. It's her singing that has aged beyond attraction. She's far from perfect in tuning and she doesn't command the orchestra with her voice as the character needs to do. Her DVD performance as the mother in Jenufa, by comparison, is plenipotent. That DVD would be a far better intro to Janacek than this one, even though the sound recording is mediocre. The best performances of Janacek on DVD are the two available of The Cunning Little Vixen. The worst by far is the Katya Kabanova, to be shunned at any price.

I saw this opera performed at the Met and the effect was devastating. Sadly, this DVD is way off the mark. The singing is bad, the costumes ridiculous and the sets poorly designed. At the end, the viewer can only say "so what?" despite the profundity of the concepts. Unfortunately, I know of no other recording of this work.

This is one of Janacek's most fascinating operas and it is rarely performed. It is difficult listening but watching the production is another matter as the story comes to life. Based upon Capek's play, the opera explores the horror and dehumanization of immortality. Janacek left out important speeches in which the principal characters consider what they could do with immortality before its ugliness is brought to the fore. The problem with this production is that the main character is played by an older singer who is terrific. Part of the mystique of Miss Marty is her unusual beauty and youth that becomes ugly and old as the play progresses. It is a challenge to find a young performer with the skills necessary to sing and act this role. Maria Stratas manages this in playing Salome - she is convincing as a young girl yet ages as her evil heart is exposed. Yet, opera has always demanded imagination and this does not detract from the pathos and ethos of the main story line. You may not find another production of quality.

This is a work of absolute operatic genius like few others. Anja Silja as the 337 year-old Emilia Marty does not merely sing this role. She IS the role. Like the Caballe NORMA filmed outdoors in the midst of a windstorm, this MAKROPULOS CASE has its own storm in the heart of a woman who was one of the greatest actresses that the opera world ever encountered. Often criticized for taking a basically lyric voice and "ruining it" on dramatic roles, Silja proves all her critics wrong in this video. I NEVER tire of watching it, for each time I see something new; and when Elina Makropulos (Emilia Marty) literally ages in front of our eyes as the ancient formula is burned, we encounter genius on the opera stage such as we seldom see today. The Lehnhoff production does nothing to get in the way of the powerful story and much to enhance its grasp on the audience. And Andrew Davis' conducting at Glyndebourne displays the beauty that is inherent in Janacek's magical score. This is not only THE MAKROPULOS CASE. This is the case of opera as drama such as is all too rarely discovered on the stage and seldom on the screen.

Anja Silja is someone I respect, and I am all for 'grey power', but this is a performance too far. In the opening scene her light grey trouser suit makes her look like an elderly Scandinavian tourist. She does not look sexually desirable. Her attempts to be sensual are simply embarrassing, as are some of the outfits she later fits into. Furthermore her voice has none of the mysterious warm colouring of Söderstrom in the excellent Mackerras LP version and is often stridently off the note. The supporting cast, orchestra and conductor are fine. The staging is ok, but not very innovative. Finally, why could we not have a Czech singer in this role, someone who does not have to strain to pronounce correctly?