$17.70
$4.07 delivery Tuesday, May 14. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$17.70 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$17.70
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Keystone Music
Ships from
Keystone Music
Sold by
Keystone Music
Sold by
Keystone Music
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more

Makropulos Affair

Format: DVD
4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 23 ratings
$17.70
Additional DVD options Edition Discs
Price
New from Used from
DVD
May 29, 2012 		—
1
$17.70
$17.60 $11.44
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$17.70","priceAmount":17.70,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"17","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"70","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"BXwbIv0KaNtegX%2Fv1PnZLEZRfuAMVAxoevd8EjvhqS%2BfDzd0Oi95K0RKKRLcXHn%2FEl01PhKNDG9PjNF%2BGVoSiSwCd29vQSI%2FnhSgH1TyDMWO33w7EFYwfQvMph2i4AwBJ0fVmmr1uOTxRR8tbjg%2F0AYew5ufW8Es3OIg%2FjraE2ecU2hLHOKamMkaHPSefkdl","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

Add a debit or credit card to save time when you check out
Convenient and secure with 2 clicks. Add your card

Product Description

C Major Entertainment presents Janacek's the Makropoulos Affair - the opera sensation from the 2011 Salzburg Festival. Esa-Pekka Salonen & the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra, featuring Angela Denoke and the staging of Christoph Marthaler received fantastic reviews from all over the world. "Esa-Pekka Salonen ensures a brilliant reading of Janacek's fascinating score, which both heightens the opera's suspense and soars with music of passion." the New York Times "Ms. Denoke is a compelling actress" the New York Times "cast, conductor and direction team won unanimous applause" Financial Times "This is the first production of the Makropoulos Affair ever available on Blu-ray Disc!"

Product details

  • Aspect Ratio ‏ : ‎ 1.78:1
  • Product Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 0.56 x 7.55 x 5.34 inches; 3.2 ounces
  • Item model number ‏ : ‎ CMAJ709508DVD
  • Media Format ‏ : ‎ Color, NTSC, Widescreen, Multiple Formats, Classical
  • Release date ‏ : ‎ May 29, 2012
  • Actors ‏ : ‎ Esa-Pekka Salonen
  • Subtitles: ‏ : ‎ English, German, Chinese, French, Spanish, Korean
  • Language ‏ : ‎ Czech (PCM Stereo), Czech (DTS 5.1)
  • Studio ‏ : ‎ C Major Entertainment
  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B006ZR7LC2
  • Number of discs ‏ : ‎ 1
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 23 ratings

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
4.2 out of 5
23 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Buyer
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Opera
Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2012
Verified Purchase
This opera concerns a 314 year old diva Emilia Marty, played by Angela Denoke,who is embroiled in a complicated lawsuit and who is hunting for a document that will renew her lease on life.Marty,a true femme fatale,possesses a nearly magical ability to bewitch men. This power she uses to confound lawyers,make her courtroom adversary fall in love with her, and,inadvertantly,drive his son to commit suicide. All of this Marty greets with an indifference mixed with disgust because she has come to regard existence itself as a drab and pointless burden......Angela Denoke dominates the opera. She conveys an allure that is at once fascinating and frightening.She is also able to convey a vulnerability as her character is literally worn down by the weight of time...The Makropulos Affair is an "actor's opera" in that the opera takes precedence over the music.The score combines a kind of atonality with lyricism and adds greatly to the strange and disturbing power of the entire opera.the set includes an old fashioned courtroom and a modern '60's style waiting room, the costumes suggest the 1920's.All of this is meant to convery a disjointed conception of time...the video itself is sharp and clear with English subtitles.I highly recommend it, even for those who are not drawn to 'modern' opera.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Orson Welles
5.0 out of 5 stars It DOES have SUBTITLES!
Reviewed in the United States on August 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
Contrary to what one reviewer says, this blu-ray does have English subtitles. (The overture to this production happens to be on youtube, so you can preview it there.) For some reason, Amazon has prized this blu-ray at $5.75. That is an incredible deal. I ordered it.
Helpful
 Report
Steve Louck
3.0 out of 5 stars Too Weird
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2013
Verified Purchase
The weird regie theater production went over the top for me. Too much irrelevant and incomprehensible distractions. Others have described it in detail and some liked it, but the old woman chain smoking in a glass cube or popping in and out of doors served no purpose that I could divine. I had hoped to show it to my opera group but I will use the dated but wonderful Anja Silja version instead. Blu ray does not redeem this oddball production. No complaints from a musical point of view.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
BENJAMIN YAFET
1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING : OPERA WITH NO SUBTITLES !
Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2012
Verified Purchase
This is an opera in Checkoslovakian without any sub-titles, which is unheard of in the world of opera DVD's. Typically, every DVD comes with a main screen where you do choose the sound, the sub-titles, the scenes, etc. This Blu-Ray has none of this and again no sub-titles in any language. Normally an opera DVD will give you a choice of sub-titles in five or six languages. This is a pity, because just watching the beginning, I could tell that the mise-en-scene was quite interesting. I am returning my purchase.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report
Conrad York
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fascinating Mystery Opera
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2015
Verified Purchase
Very fair price for an interesting production of an intriguing opera by a composer I love. Quick and careful shipment.
Helpful
 Report
Placeholder
5.0 out of 5 stars Bracing new production of this cryptic masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on July 23, 2012
Leos Janacek wrote what many consider his operatic masterpiece, The Makropoulos Case (The Marhropoulos Affair/Vec Makropoulos) in the mid 1920's, premiering in 1926. Based on a comedy by Czech playwright Karel Capek, this is certainly one of Janacek's best scores, but is also a fairly dense and symbolic story that unfolds gradually. This is a very enjoyable production, recorded live at the 2011 Salzburg Festival with a modernistic set design and somewhat surreal feel in this staging by Christopher Marthaler.

Musically, this is a very interesting work, containing some "recognizable" Janacek (brass flourishes and chattering winds that will remind many of bits and pieces of Taras Bulba or the Sinfonietta). However, the score also flirts with styles that echo everything from late Richard Strauss to early Schoenberg to Debussy. Both musically and dramatically I have always liked The Makropoulos Case but in the small, but impressive Janacek operatic output, I am partial to From the House of the Dead with its fairly grim, but direct libretto.

The plot to Makropoulos is - all at once - simple and very heady. Essentially, a mysterious opera singer and a bit of femme fatale, Emilia Marty, shows up while in opera productions to offer information that can unravel clues to a century old lawsuit between two families involving secret documents, spurned love and unproven lineages. The real catch - which does not even begin to become clear until the late second act - is that Marty is probably (later - admittedly) the daughter of the physician to the Emperor Rudolph II who had commissioned the personal physician to concoct a "fountain of youth" potion which the Emperor tested on the doctor's daughter, Elina Makropoulos. After it is revealed that Emilia Marty has, indeed, been alive for over 300 years and has assumed various identities, each of which is a woman with the initials "EM", the proof of this finally emerges. Along the way, Emilia encounters many men who are attracted to her; who have an inkling of her mysterious nature and - in one case - is actually a former lover from many years ago.

The story is considered a comedy by author Capek and by Janacek but the humor is broad, satirical and subtle; falling mainly along the lines of poking fun at the folly of those who seek immortality, the arrogance of the upper class who think they can, literally, buy such a thing and the frailty of the human nature; especially into old age. If Makropoulos is not performed more often it is not for the music, which is accessible and ethereal; just "modern" enough while being very audience friendly. It is, perhaps, for the libretto, which requires full audience concentration and more than a little acumen for irony. In fact, many would find it a stretch that the story is a "comedy". While there are stock characters and some very creative unsung doddering laborers who are treated a bit shabbily at the hands of the upper crust in satiric fashion; ultimately Emilia's centuries old roulade ends when her secret is discovered. She leaves several forelorn admirers, a son and a starry eyed admirer of opera all somewhat shocked and disappointed and Marty - in the libretto - drops dead (In Marthaler's staging, she walks off stage symbolically never to be seen again). The "comedy" is the broadest of satires and the tone is actually quite bittersweet.
The reason to acquire this very engaging new DVD is the modernistic staging, coupled with the wonderful and insightful performance by the forces of the Vienna Philharmonic under the always amazing Esa-Pekka Salonen; one of my favorite conductors. All performances are quite good but the real - and central - star of the show is Angela Denoke as Emilia, who exudes the necessary uneasy blend of sexiness and intrigue.

This is a very fine disc to own to have a wonderful performance of this very esoteric and somewhat rare opera by the Czech master but also to have an unusually riveting staging of a work that does not get staged often at all. Following at home is worth your while and I recommend this production strongly.
3 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Francisco Parra
5.0 out of 5 stars VEC MAKROPOULOS
Reviewed in Spain on June 27, 2016
Verified Purchase
Soy amante de la opera no conocia en exceso a Leos Janacek, y me ha gustado mucho.
Ademas he recibido el producto con suma rapidez y su presentación es muy buena.
Lo recomendaria y daria mi opinion favorable a mis amistades.
One person found this helpful
 Report
diakrino50
5.0 out of 5 stars The scientific experiment that went right
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 18, 2014
Verified Purchase
Try not to read the synopsis first, watch the opera. It's quite a story. If you've never seen it because people tell you it's an oddity or you've been told it's 'difficult', take no notice and enjoy what I think is probably Janacek's most glorious operatic score, orchestrally. His music isn't fragmented, it is logical and works as a commentary; lots of themes and dramatic monologues link and weave around the action and Act III of Makropulos contains some of his most heartfelt music. Throughout the opera Salonen doesn't allow any of the rhythmical or dramatic music to drag, yet gives lots of space for the romantic sections, sometimes too hurried in other performances.

Janacek is Janacek; don't think about Wagner, Strauss or Berg, just enjoy his ability to present you with explosions of romanticism and great atmospheric drama in his own way. The Vienna Philharmonic are the stars of this performance as much as the excellent cast, varying reviews of which are worth reading elsewhere here.

The production is unusual; its intention was partly to restore some of the comedy and maybe absurdity of Karel Capek's original play. I really do advise watching it without knowing the story; the text is self explanatory and it'll become clearer with repeated viewings. It's not pure science fiction, but has intrigue and a fantastical edge, and there's a lot of Kafka/Escher type references in the action. The static setting doesn't detract from the story.

I found Angela Denoke magnificent as Emilia Marty; the way she almost recedes into the sixteen-year-old character from where it all began is well presented; she sings the final scene out into the theatre from the edge of the stage, not rushed, sharing all the heart-breaking sentiment with us almost like a concert performance. I love it. The more you get to know this section the more you realise it ranks high among the great operatic final scenes of all time. Specifically here, Salonen's control of the musical flow is very supportive.

Raymond Very portrays Bertie as Emilia describes him: a 'Mummy's boy', and hits some marvellous high notes with great ease. Johan Reuter's baritone fills the hall (an amazing acoustic venue) and Jurgita Adamonytë is a lovely excitable Krista. There's a rather unnerving side to this production, and I'd like to read more about Marthaler's intentions than we get in the accompanying booklet.

I was extremely impressed with the sound on this DVD; balance and tone are well preserved and the fulminant power of Janacek's music is arresting. I would have liked a few close shots of the orchestra! But enjoy the lovely chance meeting with a little visitor at a very poignant moment.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
Becquart Eric
5.0 out of 5 stars finitude salvatrice
Reviewed in France on January 1, 2013
Verified Purchase
Je suis d'accord avec les commentaires précédents, Emilia Marty évoque irrésistiblement Lulu. Comme Lulu, EM, gagnée par le relativisme de siècles d'existence, vampirise son entourage masculin, fragile et névrosé, jouant des uns et des autres pour mieux parvenir à sa fin, se saisir de la formule de l'immortalité pour gagner un nouveau départ. Mais, comme Lulu, le non-sens finit par glacer l'Ame et le sang et l'amène à choisir in fine une autre voie...Il faut une forte personnalité pour habiter un tel personnage, véritable centre de gravité de tout l'opéra, et Angela Denoke est içi saisissante, mélange de froideur mais aussi de fragilité.
La trame orchestrale de Janacek, si originale içi, si riche, chaleureuse, humaine, évocatrice, est magnifiée par un Salonen des grands jours, qui trouve toujours le ton juste. Le reste de la distribution est parfait, hommes sans envergure au physique Kafkaien, Kristina lumineuse par qui viendra le sursaut. La réalisation de Marthaler, sobre, va à l'essentiel sans artifices. Une Emilia Marty captivante, un grand chef, un réalisateur au service de l'oeuvre, tout concourt à faire de cette réalisation un grand moment d'opéra.
5 people found this helpful
 Report
Karl Huber
5.0 out of 5 stars Spitzenleistung von Angela Denoke
Reviewed in Germany on August 17, 2012
Verified Purchase
Der 1. Rezension ist nicht viel hinzuzufügen, die Leistung Angela Denokes muss aber unbedingt mit 5 Sternen bewertet werden und auch das Orchester spielt extrem gut. Die anderen Darsteller und die unkonventionelle Regie Marthalers verdienen ebenfalls höchste Anerkennung. Eine Inszenierung, die wohl schwer zu übertreffen sein wird. Denoke ist sängerisch und darstellerisch die Idealbesetzung. Eine eher selten gespielte Oper, die man gehört und gesehen haben sollte.
3 people found this helpful
 Report
I. Zaneres
5.0 out of 5 stars Rather fascinating approach
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 4, 2020
Verified Purchase
The stage has centrally a courtroom, yo the left is a glasshouse waitjng room with a couple of stools , it is a bright white. To the right of centre is a waitng area with chairs at a table and behind a window into a room full of houseplants. To be honest even at the end I was not sure of the significanse of the wing ares.
The start is silent but with subtitles as one old lady and one young lady in the left room smoke and discuss longevity while smoking. There is no audible dialogue.
The story revolves around a court case which has been running for 100 years, it is Gregor versus Prus, with both sides laying claim to the Prus estate.
The action by the way all takes place in modern dress for the main characters and chorus,.
Emilia Marty appears as a witness, she appears to have knowledge of events from 100 years back which somewhat confuses the legal a teams .
The music is quite typical of Janacek with a conversational style. the orchestra supporting or reflecting the mood of the characters. It is always musical and occasionally almost breaks into an aria, but then restrains itself.
Angela Denoke is very much at home as Emilia Marty, she is in fine voice, very clear and has the essence of the character..
The male leads are all good but do not have great roles , most are of similar importance.
Jurgita Adamonyte is rather good as Krista and come into her own from time to time in acts two and three.
The other minor characters are perfectly adequate but
The goings on by the extra characters are flights of fancy from the director , not entering into the story but reflecting on the concept of ultra long life. It does not detract from the main story, but does not add much to it.
This production is however much more interest then the Prustate offering. .
One person found this helpful
 Report