The first operatic premiere of this season Leoš Janáček’s The Makropulos Affair will be presented on stage of the Mariinsky Theatre this Saturday. This will be the second opera sung in Czech in the repertoire of our theater: in 2007 we introduced Janáček’s Jenufa. To stage the new production, we have invited world-renowned British director Graham Vick, the Artistic  Director of Birmingham Opera Company, winner of numerous awards in the field of theatrical art, Commander of the British Empire (2009).

The director, an opera production team and singers started to work on this production a few months ago, whilst the last few weeks before the premiere were the most intense time for everyone. Graham Vick, who is preparing to introduce his version of the opera by Janáček to the St Petersburg audience, last week took part in a meeting with the public and the media. The director saw parallels with a drama in the style of Agatha Christie and with the works of Mikhail Bulgakov. Vick believes that The Makropulos Affair is one of the hardest operas for the director (he already worked on a production of this opera at the Royal Theatre in Copenhagen). According to the director, this work by Janáček lies farther than any other from Russian culture. At the same time, the black humour and grotesque draws it close to works by Bulgakov, the director believes.

Leoš Janáček’s opera The Makropulos Affair directed by Graham Vick is going to be a real detective story, in which both the libretto’s author and director will keep the main idea in secret until the end of performance. According to the producer’s idea, it is important to emphasise the satirical aspect of the opera – this is an unusual solution for productions of operas by Janáček. Graham Vick decided to abandon any experiments after the manner of futurism. Outwardly simple staging of the opera should help the viewer to focus on the development of the plot of the story-thriller. Mystical overtones in this performance will be underlined by the everyday design of costumes and scenery.

On 28 & 30 October, for the first time this season, our theater will present The Woman without a Shadow, an opera by Richard Strauss, sung in the original language. This production, directed by Jonathan Kent was the first operatic premiere of the 227-th season. Valery Gergiev, who is the music director of this production, conducted all, without exception, of the opera performances at the Mariinsky Theatre and on tour since its premiere in November 2009. Performances on 28 & 30 October will be held under his leadership once again.

During the last season our production of The Woman without a Shadow was taken on tour at the Bolshoi Theatre within the framework of the National Theatre Festival Golden Mask (in February 2010), as well as at the Summer Festival in Ljubljana (in August 2010).