The heroine of the 1926 “The Makropulos Case” is nearly as old as the sphinx. (Klotz/Metropolitan Opera)
She’s ageless! That’s the double-edged compliment divas love to hate.
But in Janácek’s “The Makropulos Case,” a glamorous opera singer named Emilia Marty has literally stopped time — her voice and beauty preserved by a potion given to her in the 1500s by her father, an alchemist named Makropulos.
In one of spring’s most anticipated performances, Karita Mattila will sing Emilia at the Met. This is the same Finnish soprano who, three seasons ago, dazzled audiences in Strauss’ “Salome” with a “Dance of the Seven Veils” that climaxed in a glimpse of full-frontal nudity.
“She’s a daring actress willing to go places most opera singers won’t,” says Elijah Moshinsky, who created this staging in 1996 for stately American soprano Jessye Norman and is revising it now for Mattila.
This 1926 opera turns melodramatic when Emilia, terrified of dying, seeks another dose of her father’s potion to prolong her life — a desperation Janácek depicts in music bristling with jagged rhythms and tense dissonances. In the final scene, she laments the misery long life has brought her.
Moshinsky says he sees her point, but feels otherwise.
“I have so many things I want to do, and life is short,” the 66-year-old says. “So the idea of a Makropulos potion is very appealing!” The curtain goes up April 27; performances run through May 11 (Lincoln Center, 212-362-6000; metopera.org).
This spring’s best operas may not quite stop time — but they’re worth making time to see.
Verdi’s “La Traviata” returns in the controversial Willy Decker staging that reimagines the doomed heroine as a 21st-century call girl in a red cocktail dress. Principal conductor Fabio Luisi leads a cast headed by Natalie Dessay and Dmitri Hvorostovsky; the April 14 matinee will be broadcast live in HD at movie theaters (Lincoln Center, April 6 to May 2, 212-362-6000, metopera.org).
New York City Opera continues its trek across town with a quick stop in Harlem for the New York premiere of Telemann’s 1726 “Orpheus” (El Museo del Barrio, 1230 Fifth Ave., May 12-20; 212-870-5600, nycopera.com). Nipping at NYCO’s heels as the city’s No. 2 opera company is Gotham Chamber Opera, which celebrates its 10th anniversary with Mozart’s “Il Sogno di Scipione” in a funky staging by Christopher Alden (Gerald W. Lynch Theater, 899 10th Ave., April 11-21, 212-868-4460; gothamchamberopera.org).
In the mood for something lighter? Collegiate Chorale presents Gilbert and Sullivan’s “Mikado” with a cast of Broadway headliners including Victoria Clark, Kelli O’Hara and Jason Danieley (Carnegie Hall, April 10, 646-202-9623; collegiatechorale.org).