(Photo: Mihaela Bodlovic)

It is rare these days for a director and their team to allow an opera to emerge solely from its score and text without the need to impose their own reading, offer a new twist, introduce wonderful stage effects, or succumb to the temptation of placing it in a new setting. In fact, to do otherwise is to risk being criticized for lacking imagination, insight, or worse, for serving up a dull, even unoriginal interpretation.

Yet, notwithstanding one or two gentle interventions, this is essentially what occurred for Scottish Opera’s presentation of Janáček’s “The Makropulos Affair,” and it was hugely successful.

Clear Insightful Direction from Fuchs

The director Olivia Fuchs and designer Nicola Turner stuck closely to the libretto, situating the drama in Prague,1922, with each act set in the locations as described. The costume and set designs were of the period and successfully reflected the social and professional statuses of the characters. There were occasional ostentatious splashes, such as Emilia’s hotel room, which included a huge white bed with a suitably large clock positioned on top of the headboard, but they were always carefully attuned to the situation. There was little to distract from the drama itself, which remained largely focused on the characters throughout and successfully drew in the audience.

None of which is to suggest that the staging or the direction were relegated to a subservient position; they were not! Rather, they were expertly crafted to provide context, aid characterization and promote the drama.

Nor was it a passive approach. Fuchs did, in fact, add other layers to her presentation, notably through the introduction of Freudian and surrealist ideas. Carefully placed imagery, consisting of large clocks, piles of paper suspended in the air in the lawyer’s office, and the occasional use of black and white videos, including one of outer space alluding to the unknown qualities of time and the depths that lie deep within our existence, was sensitively introduced and integrated into the staging, thereby drawing attention to the roles played by the subconscious, memories and dreams in people’s lives and how they clash to fragment our understanding of time and allow multiple identities to coexist. Such ideas have clear connections to “The Makropulos Affair” and added an interesting perspective to the narrative. Importantly, however, it was so well handled and the imagery so skillfully introduced that audience members uninterested or not in tune with such ideas could easily opt out without making a conscious effort to do so.

Rarely does one find such a neatly balanced approach from a director and designer. They were content to allow the work to speak for itself, but with the ability to introduce an interesting perspective that did not disrupt the music or text.

The performance was sung in English, with David Pountney providing a sharply focused translation that included a fair amount of humor that had the audience laughing, and which worked well in managing the work’s dramatic shape.

Conductor Martyn Brabbins oversaw a persuasive and engaging performance from the Orchestra of the Scottish Opera. He was particularly attentive to rhythmic and dynamic contrasts and carefully managed the pace to promote and support the nuances and the general thrust of the onstage drama. There was a marvelous clarity to the sound, which brought out the rich colors and highlighted the beauty of the many short motifs that litter the score.

Between acts one and two, a recording of an excerpt from Janáček’s unfinished symphony, “The Danube,” written at the same time as the opera, was relayed as if played on a gramophone from the period, and successfully acted a bridge to ensure the short pause did not inhibit the flow of the narrative.

A Bravura Performance from Boylan

Ultimately, the opera’s success depends upon the quality of the soprano playing the part of Emilia Marty. It is a seriously demanding role, not just musically but also from an acting perspective. She needs to stand out clearly from all those around her. She needs to be confident, dominating, manipulative, and certainly able to present herself as world-weary. There has to be hardness, even a callousness, in her dealings with others, although with occasional flashes of sympathy, while still being able to delight in the attention of admirers. She enjoys playing with other people’s feelings, but is unconcerned about their reactions. Yet, beneath it all, there is understanding and self-reflection, even occasional humor. And Orla Boylan, cast in the role, nailed it with a captivating acting performance!

Likewise, her singing was equally gripping. Fully immersed within the role, she attacked it head-on, displaying formidable stamina, notably so in the demanding third act, in which she engaged combatively with its high-lying tessitura, pushing her voice upwards towards the extremes of the range, while displaying remarkable versatility as she took in leaps without any notable stress in the voice. Throughout, her ability to manage her voice to fit the dramatic situation was exemplary. There were one or two occasions in which the voice sounded a little shrill in the more extreme passages, which was understandable and easily forgivable.

Overall, it was a first-rate characterization from an excellent singing actress.

The other roles are minor by comparison, yet no less important if the full force of Janáček’s drama is to be realized. Fortunately, the quality of the soloists were all up to the task.

Tenor Ryan Capozzo caught the attention with his attractive tonal quality and natural lyricism, which he used to make a strong impression as the energetic and romantically inclined  Albert Gregor, who quickly fell for the charms of Marty, unaware that she is a distant relative.

Tenor Mark LeBrocq produced a convincing portrait of the suitably dull, well-mannered lawyer, Vítek. He sang with a pleasing tone, exhibiting clear articulation and neatly crafted phrasing.

Vitek’s daughter and want-to-be opera star, Kristina, was given a sympathetic portrayal by the young soprano Catriona Hewitson. She possesses a fresh, attractive and expressive voice, which she used to successfully develop a nuanced relationship with her father, express her romantic feelings for Janak and adoration for Marty. Based on this performance, she is certainly a singer with a bright future.

Baron Jaroslav Prus was characterized as suitably unpleasant and unscrupulous by baritone Roland Wood. His rich, expressive and secure voice provided Prus with a confident, aristocratic and authoritative air.

Bass-baritone Henry Waddington created a convincing portrayal of Doctor Kolenaty as professional, aloof and self-important, in which his clear articulation and nuanced means of expression impressed.

Baritone Michael Lafferty convinced as the emotionally immature Janek Prus, conveying his easily led passions in a neatly managed performance.

Tenor Alasdair Elliott produced a lively and amusing characterization of the ageing Count Hauk-Šendorf. Each of his appearances on stage triggered laughter from the audience as he stumbled around, nonplussed by Marty’s similarity to a woman he loved many years ago.

It was an impressive performance on every level. Fuch’s direction brilliantly captured the strength of the narrative while presenting valid, non-disrupting insights that could be embraced or ignored with ease. Boylan’s vocal interpretation of Marty was a tour de force and, together with her acting, captured the depths and nuances of her character, while Brabbins elicited a compelling performance from the orchestra.