Barbican Hall, London The tension barely let up for two hours as Rattle led the London Symphony Orchestra and a commanding cast through this vital account of Janáček’s opera. It is only two months since Jakub Hrůša’s <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/nov/05/the-makropulos-case-review-royal-opera-house-janacek-katie-mitchell-ausrine-stundyte">rightly acclaimed</a> and idiomatic conducting of Leoš Janáček’s penultimate opera at Covent Garden. Now, like the proverbial London buses, here comes the same piece again (though this time calling itself The Makropulos Affair rather than the Royal Opera’s The Makropulos Case), with Simon Rattle leading two concert performances at the Barbican Hall.Rattle’s first-night account was simply sensational. He plunged at almost manic speed into Makropulos’s compellingly exciting prelude, and barely let up for the best part of two hours, as the opera played without an interval. The fierce tension may occasionally have come at the expense of some of the lighter touches that beguiled in Hrůša’s approach. Yet Janáček’s extraordinarily deft ear for orchestral detail and harmony – like the bassoon solo announcing the central character’s first appearance – was never sacrificed. The LSO played thrillingly. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/music/2026/jan/14/the-makropulos-affair-review-janacek-simon-rattle-lso-marlis-petersen">Continue reading...</a>

قاد سايمون راتل عرضًا مثيرًا ونصف مسرحي لأوبرا ياناشيك، The Makropulos Affair، في قاعة باربيكان بلندن، حيث أسرت الجماهير بأداء حافظ على توتر عالٍ طوال مدته التي بلغت ساعتين. رافقت الأوركسترا السيمفونية اللندنية طاقمًا متميزًا، مما أظهر السرد الجذاب للأوبرا دون انقطاع.

Simon Rattle dirigió una emocionante semi-escenificación de la ópera de Janáček, The Makropulos Affair, en el Barbican Hall de Londres, cautivando al público con una actuación que mantuvo una alta tensión durante sus dos horas. La Orquesta Sinfónica de Londres acompañó a un elenco destacado, mostrando la narrativa cautivadora de la ópera sin un intermedio.

Simon Rattle a dirigé une mise en scène semi-scénarisée captivante de l'opéra de Janáček, The Makropulos Affair, au Barbican Hall de Londres, captivant le public avec une performance qui a maintenu une tension élevée tout au long de ses deux heures. L'Orchestre symphonique de Londres a accompagné une distribution impressionnante, mettant en valeur le récit captivant de l'opéra sans interruption.

Simon Rattle conducted a thrilling semi-staging of Janáček’s opera, The Makropulos Affair, at Barbican Hall, London, captivating audiences with a performance that maintained high tension throughout its two-hour duration. The London Symphony Orchestra accompanied a commanding cast, showcasing the opera's compelling narrative without an interval.

The Makropulos Affair review – Simon Rattle leads a sensational and thrilling semi-staging

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