Marie-Magdeleine

Jules Massenet (1842–1912), one of the greatest operatic composers, author of Manon, Werther and Thaïs, wrote his oratorio Marie-Magdeleine before he had reached the age of thirty. It was his first major triumph as a composer, meriting the admiration of Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Charles Gounod and George Bizet. The latter, awestruck after the premiere at the Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris, wrote to him, saying: “Never has our modern school produced anything of that kind: you’ll give me a fever, you brigand!” This “drame sacré”, as Massenet described his work, written to a libretto by Louis Gallet, traces the last days of Jesus’s life from the perspective of Mary Magdalene. While the oratorio adheres to the biblical story, it reflects profound human empathy, with emphasis on the spiritual transformation of a “fallen woman” and on the feelings she had for Christ. The premiere on Good Friday, 11 April 1873, thus also prompted slight controversy, when certain critics interpreted the relationship between the heroine and the Son of God as being more than purely spiritual. In this composition of almost ninety minutes, Massenet’s music offers everything we love about his operas – wonderful arias and choruses which, in this case, are afforded unprecedented scope, lyricism and drama, along with the flawlessly poignant depiction of female characters. This masterpiece will be staged at the Prague Spring after an absence of thirty years. The title role of Mary Magdalene (Méryem, la Magdaléenne) will be assumed by star of New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the Royal Opera House in London, soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Jesus will be sung by one of the most sought-after lyric tenors on the current scene, Kang Wang, while Martha (Marthe) and Judas will be performed by leading soloists at the National Theatre Opera and State Opera: Icelandic mezzo-soprano Arnheiður Eiríksdóttir and bass František Zahradníček. The Chorus and Orchestra of the National Theatre Opera will be conducted by Robert Jindra, who describes Massenet’s work in the following words: “Massenet’s music is something of a transition from the legacy of Richard Wagner to French sound colour and elegance, and from there to the colours of Impressionism. The themes in his compositions often relate to the Orient, to myths, legends, fairy tales and also to biblical stories. He had an unprecedented theatrical and dramaturgical instinct, thus Marie-Magdeleine oscillates between sacral and stage piece. This is not merely a spiritual work; it is also exceptionally dramatic.”

The fact that Aleksandra Kurzak is a major figure on the current opera scene becomes clear with a mere glance at her plans for this season: Tosca at the Berlin State Opera, Semperoper in Dresden and in a new production at London’s Royal Opera House, where she alternates with Anna Netrebko, Mimi at the Metropolitan Opera and Adriana Lecouvreur at Naples’ Teatro di San Carlo. The artist, whose recordings are released exclusively with Decca and Sony Classical, has also given her debuts at Milan’s Teatro alla Scala and the Vienna State Opera. When she sang the role of Cio-Cio-San in Madama Butterfly at the Met in 2024, the Bachtrack website wrote: “She triumphed […] Her large and luminous lyric soprano displayed a remarkable range of colours and nuances.”

Australian-Chinese tenor Kang Wang is currently one of the biggest stars of the upcoming generation of singers. The artist joined the prestigious Lindemann Young Artist Development Program at the Metropolitan Opera and in 2017 was a finalist at one of the world’s most challenging singing competitions, the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World. This season alone he will be appearing at the Metropolitan Opera, the Vienna State Opera, San Francisco Opera and the Bavarian State Opera. The critics describe his voice as filled with “warmth, pathos, vigour and, above all, majesty of tone” while, in June 2025, Britain’s Opera magazine wrote: “He’s a full-throated tenor who sang with outpourings of smooth but impassioned coloratura and high notes of remarkable purity.”