The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case

Aušrinė Stundytė (Emilia Marty) and Sean Panikkar (Albert Gregor)

The Makropulos Case

Aušrinė Stundytė (Emilia Marty) and Heather Engebretson (Krista)

Henry Waddington (Dr Kolenatý) and Johan Reuter (Baron Jaroslav Prus)

By Mark Valencia, 05 November 2025

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“Makropulos is only as good as its star diva and Aušrinė Stundytė was spectacularly gripping”

Reviewed at Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London on 4 November 2025

Janáček, The Makropulos Case (Věc Makropulos)

The Royal Opera

Jakub Hrůša, Conductor

Katie Mitchell, Director

Vicki Mortimer, Set Designer

Sussie Juhlin-Wallén, Costume Designer

James Farncombe, Lighting Designer

Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden

Royal Opera Chorus

Aušrinė Stundytė, Emilia Marty / Elina Makropoulos

Sean Panikkar, Albert Gregor

Henry Waddington, Dr Kolenatý

Johan Reuter, Baron Jaroslav Prus

Peter Hoare, Vítek

Heather Engebretson, Kristina

Daniel Matoušek, Janek

Alan Oke, Count Hauk-Šendorf

Jingwen Cai, Chambermaid

Jeremy White, A Stage Technician

Susan Bickley, A Cleaning Woman

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Mark Valencia

Mark has worked in arts journalism for four decades, both as a writer and as a French-English translator. Nowadays he focuses his energies on reviewing opera and music. Mark also writes for Opera magazine and for Musical America as a correspondent for Europe and the UK.

The glory and the grind: The Royal Opera stages its first Makropulos Case