The Makropulos Affair by Janáček, From (2019/2019), Directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov,, Conductor Jakub Hrůša, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

The Makropulos Affair Outsmart death, become immortal - this dream is as old as human history. But is it really desirable to live forever? Isn't it precisely finiteness that makes life valuable in the first place? At least that's what Emilia Marty finds out, on whom an elixir to prolong life was tested - and who has been living in different countries under different names (originally her name was Elina Makropulos) and identities for 337 years now. The effect of the elixir begins to wear off, and at first the "Marty", as the singer is also called admiringly, is fine with any means to get the lost recipe for the potion; she also uses her irresistible erotic attraction for this, and men of all ages lose their heads because of her, while she herself remains completely cold emotionally. But when she finally got the recipe back into her possession, she realized that she didn't want to live any longer: "This terrible loneliness! You get tired of the good, you get tired of the bad... And you feel that your soul is dying.” the comedyVěc Makropulos (The Makropulos Affair) by Karel Čapek met Janáček in 1922. At the time, he was fascinated by the icy coldness of the 337-year-old beauty, but over the course of his work on the opera he developed pity for his title heroine, who had lived and breathed so long have to endure their endless loneliness. "I want everyone to end up liking her," he wrote. "I can't live without love." Dmitri Tcherniakov, who has already presented exciting readings of Janáček's Jenůfa and Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande in Zurich , is directing. With the Czech conductor Jakub Hrůša, a Janáček connoisseur makes his debut at the Zurich Opera House. There will also be a reunion with Evelyn Herlitzius, who has already captivated the Zurich audience with her intense portrayal of Elektra.