Perhaps the most admirable project of Dominique Meyer’s Intendanz at Wiener Staatsoper is the traversal of the operas of Leos Janancek, many of which are company premieres and are being sung in Czech for the first time.  The latest installment is the composer’s penultimate masterpiece, Vec Makropulos, starring Laura Aiken. 

Aiken, a American whose prolific 25 year career has been centered in Europe, has been best known for high-flying coloratura roles such as the Queen of the Night and Zerbinetta, and was a spectacular Lulu.  A champion of 20^th century and contemporary opera, her performance as Marie in Bernd Alois Zimmermann’s Die Soldaten at the 2012 Salzburger Festspiele (available on DVD) ranks as one of the most astounding performances by a singing actress I have ever witnessed.

As Emily Marty/Elina Makropulos/Eugenia Montez/Ekaterina Myshkin/Ellian McGregor among others, Aiken is supported by Slovakian tenor ?udovít Ludha and ensemble members of Wiener Staatsoper including veterans Wolfgang Bankl and Heinz Zednik, now 76, who rose to international prominence with his portrayal as Mime in the Pierre Boulez/Patrice Chéreau Ring at Bayreuth.

Leoš Janá?ek: Vec Makropulos</strong>