KC Hill
Dexter
Cibbuano
Paladin
Craig Hill
Oracle of DelphiA Review
March 29th 2006 10:13
Mozart's Die Zauberflote(The Magic Flute), one of the composer's very last works, is a operatic standard, a fun an innocent work that is a perennial favourite amongst opera lovers. The plot is pretty unimportant, the appeal of the opera essentially lying in the incredibly contrasting score and its pastiche of operatic and performance styles, incorporating elements of pantomime, farce, spoken dialogue and 'special effects' scenes. That being said, a few words on the plot probably wouldn't hurt.
Prince Tamino, wandering far from home, is rescued from a monster by Three Ladies. Their mistress, the Queen of the Night, asks Tamino to resue her beautiful daughter Pamina from the clutches of her rival Sarastro, and to aid him in his quest Tamino is given a magic flute. A number of implausible plot developments take place and by the end of the opera Tamino and Pamina, now lovers, are welcomed into Sarastro's order.
David Freeman's new production of The Magic Flute is the first of three Mozart productions in the 2006 season commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. The current production retains the integrity of Mozart's score and libretto whilst simultaneously attractively modernising the work.
Emma Matthews is as articulate and impeccable as ever in her role debut as Pamina, and nowhere more so than in her lovely G minor aria. Stephen Richardson, also in his debut as the high priest Sarastro is suitably rotund in timbre and grave in countenance, although Amelia Farrugia as his arch nemesis, the Queen of the Night, sounds more strained and edgy with her stratospheric coloraturas. The supporting roles of the Three Ladies (Sarah Crane, Catherine Carby and Sally-Anne Russell) and the Three Boys (Robert Adam, Harrison Collins, Nathan Greentree) act with loads of character and sing eloquently.
The work's production design also deserves mention. A dazzling melange of styles, the design incorporates fantastical, retro-camp and arcane elements into both Acts. Similarly enticing to a modern spectator is the lighthearted idiomatic translation of the piece's dialogue which turns Papageno into the archetypal Aussie larrikin. Having said that, from the number of zimmer frames shuffling around the Opera House foyer on the night of the performance it is debatable whether such modernisation was necessary, the ancients among the audience probably preferring the opera the way they first witnessed it, at Schikaneder's popular suburban vaudeville theatre in Vienna in 1791.
The Production runs until April 1
Prince Tamino, wandering far from home, is rescued from a monster by Three Ladies. Their mistress, the Queen of the Night, asks Tamino to resue her beautiful daughter Pamina from the clutches of her rival Sarastro, and to aid him in his quest Tamino is given a magic flute. A number of implausible plot developments take place and by the end of the opera Tamino and Pamina, now lovers, are welcomed into Sarastro's order.
David Freeman's new production of The Magic Flute is the first of three Mozart productions in the 2006 season commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer's birth. The current production retains the integrity of Mozart's score and libretto whilst simultaneously attractively modernising the work.
Emma Matthews is as articulate and impeccable as ever in her role debut as Pamina, and nowhere more so than in her lovely G minor aria. Stephen Richardson, also in his debut as the high priest Sarastro is suitably rotund in timbre and grave in countenance, although Amelia Farrugia as his arch nemesis, the Queen of the Night, sounds more strained and edgy with her stratospheric coloraturas. The supporting roles of the Three Ladies (Sarah Crane, Catherine Carby and Sally-Anne Russell) and the Three Boys (Robert Adam, Harrison Collins, Nathan Greentree) act with loads of character and sing eloquently.
The work's production design also deserves mention. A dazzling melange of styles, the design incorporates fantastical, retro-camp and arcane elements into both Acts. Similarly enticing to a modern spectator is the lighthearted idiomatic translation of the piece's dialogue which turns Papageno into the archetypal Aussie larrikin. Having said that, from the number of zimmer frames shuffling around the Opera House foyer on the night of the performance it is debatable whether such modernisation was necessary, the ancients among the audience probably preferring the opera the way they first witnessed it, at Schikaneder's popular suburban vaudeville theatre in Vienna in 1791.
The Production runs until April 1
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