I went this evening to see The Makropulos Case, an opera by Leo Janacek at the War Memorial Opera House with the SF Opera.
Wow, what an opera! Ok, let's get this out of the way: no memorable arias, no hummable tunes to walk home with, nothing special except an incredibly entrancing story. And, at least in this production, sensuous and seductive acting by the incomprably sexy Karita Mattila, who plays the title character, Elina Makropulos (or Ellian MacGregor or Emilia Marty or Eugenia Montez).
I managed to score a ticket at the steps of the War Memorial from this very nice lady who needed to sell her ticket. $20 for a nose-bleed section of the seating area. (I've done this before and managed to get a ticket to Tannhauser for free and at a much better location.) The Makropulous Case, not being one of the operatic warhorses, didn't get a full house. Oh well, others' loss. Those of us who attended can certainly claim we had a great experience.
The staging and lighting were amazing. I would like to know how it was done during Janacek's time, when all the fancy lighting and stage movements were not available to him. In our case, time was the main theme. We see an imposing clock that tells the actual time (the opera ran 2:15, according to this clock). Everything hinges on time.
I won't bother explaining the story line: you can google or wiki it. What made this opera fascinating was the story, the costume and staging, and the eerie yet sexy overtones of the story. Of course, Karita's portrayal of Emilia Marty/Elina Makropulos was incendiary. She made it scathingly hot and I applaud her efforts. Too often, the lead soprano role is sung unmovingly with the singer's feet firmly planted to one spot on the stage. Great for the voice, but makes for bad action.
Karita made the story compelling with her acting as well as her singing. I can see this film noir opera going on the silver screen. It probably won't be set to the operatic score, but this story can be told in a number of ways.
If you're reading this around November 10, 2010, I urge you to go and see it for yourself. Go scalp a ticket or two from those who have the ticket, but can't see it that evening. It's a novel experience, no doubt about it.
Wow, what an opera! Ok, let's get this out of the way: no memorable arias, no hummable tunes to walk home with, nothing special except an incredibly entrancing story. And, at least in this production, sensuous and seductive acting by the incomprably sexy Karita Mattila, who plays the title character, Elina Makropulos (or Ellian MacGregor or Emilia Marty or Eugenia Montez).
I managed to score a ticket at the steps of the War Memorial from this very nice lady who needed to sell her ticket. $20 for a nose-bleed section of the seating area. (I've done this before and managed to get a ticket to Tannhauser for free and at a much better location.) The Makropulous Case, not being one of the operatic warhorses, didn't get a full house. Oh well, others' loss. Those of us who attended can certainly claim we had a great experience.
The staging and lighting were amazing. I would like to know how it was done during Janacek's time, when all the fancy lighting and stage movements were not available to him. In our case, time was the main theme. We see an imposing clock that tells the actual time (the opera ran 2:15, according to this clock). Everything hinges on time.
I won't bother explaining the story line: you can google or wiki it. What made this opera fascinating was the story, the costume and staging, and the eerie yet sexy overtones of the story. Of course, Karita's portrayal of Emilia Marty/Elina Makropulos was incendiary. She made it scathingly hot and I applaud her efforts. Too often, the lead soprano role is sung unmovingly with the singer's feet firmly planted to one spot on the stage. Great for the voice, but makes for bad action.
Karita made the story compelling with her acting as well as her singing. I can see this film noir opera going on the silver screen. It probably won't be set to the operatic score, but this story can be told in a number of ways.
If you're reading this around November 10, 2010, I urge you to go and see it for yourself. Go scalp a ticket or two from those who have the ticket, but can't see it that evening. It's a novel experience, no doubt about it.
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