La double mise en abyme de L’Affaire Makropoulos à Bastille

L'Affaire Makropoulos à l'Opéra Bastille

By Erwan Gentric, 09 October 2023

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“on est bien en peine de trouver le moindre défaut majeur à la proposition de Warlikowski”

Reviewed at Opéra national de Paris: Opéra Bastille, Paris on 5 October 2023

Janáček, The Makropulos Case (Věc Makropulos)

Opéra national de Paris

Susanna Mälkki, Conductor

Krzysztof Warlikowski, Director

Małgorzata Szczęśniak, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Felice Ross, Lighting Designer

Orchestre de l'Opéra national de Paris

Chœurs de l'Opéra national de Paris

Denis Guéguin, Video

Karita Mattila, Emilia Marty / Elina Makropoulos

Pavel Černoch, Albert Gregor

Károly Szemerédy, Dr Kolenatý

Johan Reuter, Baron Jaroslav Prus

Nicholas Jones, Vítek

Ilanah Lobel-Torres, Kristina

Cyrille Dubois, Janek

Peter Bronder, Count Hauk-Šendorf

Ching-Lien Wu, Choirmaster / chorus director

Pomp meets ping-pong: Nixon in China lands again in Paris

David Karlin, 14th March

Excellent vocal acting from Thomas Hampson, Renée Fleming, Xiaomeng Zhang and a magnificent orchestral performance conducted by Kent Nagano can't make Valentina Carrasco's production fully grip.

***11

Thomas Adès’ high-flying Exterminating Angel in Paris

Erwan Gentric, 29th February

The French premiere of the British composer's opera will be the undisputed high point of the Grande Boutique's season: a perfect confluence of music, staging and cast.

*****

Shock and awe in Paris with Bernstein's A Quiet Place

David Karlin, 9th March

In the expert hands of both director Warlikowski and conductor Kent Nagano, the sequel to Bernstein's Trouble in Tahiti proves to be even darker and more dramatic.

*****

A long road to nowhere for Igor at the Bastille

Mark Pullinger, 1st December

Barrie Kosky's makes a limited impact in his debut at Opéra de Paris, apart from an hallucinogenic Polovtsian Dances.

***11

Les Indes galantes: with Alarcón, Rameau conquers the Bastille

Philippe Ramin, 28th September

The new production of Les Indes galantes at Opéra Bastille is exceptional, from the vocal cast to the choreography by Bintou Dembélé. But the stand-out performance of the evening comes from conductor Leonardo Garcia Alarcón.

*****

Don Giovanni according to Ivo van Hove: a puritan despite himself?

Pierre Liscia-Beaurenaut, 16th June

Don Giovanni returns to the Palais Garnier. The production by Ivo van Hove lacks energy but is wonderfully served by a cast of great young talents.

***11

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Erwan Gentric

Initié dès son plus jeune âge à la musique classique, par l’étude du piano d’abord, puis par les affinités électives entretenues avec quelques disques des rayonnages familiaux, Erwan mène désormais de front l’exercice de la critique musicale pour Bachtrack et Diapason, ainsi qu’un doctorat de musicologie à l’École Pratique des Hautes Études. Soutenues par une bourse de la Fondation Royaumont, ses recherches portent sur l’Association artistique des Concerts Colonne de 1873 à 1910.

L’Affaire Makropoulos à l'Opéra de Paris : la double mise en abyme de Warlikowski