Scottish Opera presents new production of Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair this February

For the first time since 1993, Scottish Opera is presenting a full staging of The Makropulos Affair by Leoš Janáček, in a co-production with Welsh ...

December 2, 2024

For the first time since 1993, Scottish Opera is presenting a full staging of The Makropulos Affair by Leoš Janáček, in a co-production with Welsh National Opera.

Opening on 15 February at Theatre Royal Glasgow before transferring to Festival Theatre Edinburgh, The Makropulos Affair tells the story of Emilia Marty, Elina Makropulos, E.M.; the stylish, enigmatic diva who has lived many lives, and for over three centuries has been on a quest to become a great opera singer. Captivating minds and hearts along her journey through time and across Europe, her existence throws up questions of science and nature, reality and fantasy, and life and death. When the elixir she was given begins to lose its power, and when secrets of her lives and loves come to light, she can no longer outrun these essential human tensions. 

Making his Company debut, Martyn Brabbins conducts The Orchestra of Scottish Opera, with Orla Boylan (Marx in London! 2024) leading the cast as Emilia Marty, Ryan Capozzo as Albert Gregor, Henry Waddington (Greek 2018) as Doctor Kolenatý and Mark Le Brocq (Nixon in China 2020) as Vitek.

Joining them are former Scottish Opera Emerging Artist Catriona Hewitson (Hansel & Gretel 2023) as Kristina, Roland Wood (Oedipus Rex 2024) as Baron Jaroslav Prus, Michael Lafferty as Janek Prus (making his Company debut), Alasdair Elliot (Marx in London! 2024) as Count Hauk-Šendorf, and current Emerging Artist Edward Jowle (Albert Herring 2024) as Stage Technician.

This production, directed by Olivia Fuchs with designs by Nicola Turner, was nominated for a Southbank Sky Arts Award when presented by Welsh National Opera in 2022. An English translation by David Pountney makes this psychologically astute story even more immediate.

Olivia Fuchs said: ‘The production reflects the elegance and texture of the 1920s combining elements of detailed realism with a lyrical surrealism. Poetic, visually surprising and multi-layered, it moves fluidly from scene to scene exploring how we experience history through the layering of our individual and collective memories. 

‘Emilia Marty is compelling both as a character and as a symbol of our times. She embodies the metaphysical question of how we collectively deal with the reality and fear of aging and death, and the tension between fact and fairy-tale, truth and falsehood, style and essence. It is almost 100 years since The Makropulos Affair was first performed and it still remains as life-affirming and relevant today.’

Those who wish to discover more about how The Makropulos Affair was created can attend Pre-show Talks in Glasgow and Edinburgh, which delve into the detail of the opera. Tickets are free but should be booked in advance. Audience members with a visual impairment can enjoy the full opera experience at Audio-described performances, which have a live commentary describing the action on stage without compromising the music. At these performances, there are also free Touch Tours of the set, and a live audio introduction before the start of the performance.

The Makropulos Affair is supported by The Alexander Gibson Circle.

Tickets for The Makropulos Affair are on sale now at www.scottishopera.org.uk/shows/the-makropulos-affair/