Nissay Theatre in Yurakucho, Tokyo, will present Leos Janacek's opera "The Makropulos Case" on Nov. 20, 22 and 24 to mark the venue's 45th anniversary.
"Why Makropulos? Because the story is dramatic though scarcely known," says Yasuo Niwa, the chief producer of the theater's planning department. "On the 40th anniversary, we succeeded in staging 'Lulu,' which is also rarely performed."
"Lulu," by Austrian composer Alban Berg (1885-1935), the story of an amoral woman, was left unfinished after the composer's death, until Austria's Frierich Cerha completed Act 3 in 1973. The Japanese premiere of the opera was performed by Deutsche Oper Berlin as an incomplete two-act version at the Nissay Theatre in 1970.