The Makropulos Case version 2, San Francisco Opera, Nov. 28 2010

Today’s final performance of The Makropulos Case continued to maintain the very high standards of the dress rehearsal and the performance of Nov. 24. Karita Mattila dominated the stage as Emilia Marty with her singing and particularly her acting; Gerd Grochowski again made his mark as a very impressive Baron Prus. I was delighted to see in the program notes that we will see him again soon, as Gunther in San Francisco’s 2011 Ring. And again, a well-deserved standing ovation for Mattila at curtain call. After her bows, she bestowed the one-cheek/other-cheek European style double kiss on each of her fellow cast members. Another alpha for the books. A candidate for my “top ten” list, which only admits new members after a period of time to see whether I keep asking people “Did you see Karita Mattila in The Makropulos Case in 2010?”