Out of the operas Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote, I have always considered Die Zauberflote(the Magic Flute) to be his masterpiece, though I love Don Giovanni and Le Nozze Di Figaro as well. Die Zauberflote has been special to me, since I performed in the chorus at 16, and loving every minute of it. Now one year on, it never ceases to amaze me.
The 1983 production, directed by August Everding, looks wonderful, nothing too fancy, but has lovely costumes and sets- the serpent was certainly very menacing, and the Fire and Water scene was in particular well staged. I don't really need to detail how much I love Mozart's score, but I will do so anyway, from the rousing overture, the Birdcatcher's song, the Act 1 quintet, the heart rending solo arias Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon and Ah ich fuhl, the spine chilling queen of the Night aria, the haunting Isis and Osiris chorus, the hilarious Papagaeno Papagaena, to the powerful finale, it is a feast for the listener. The orchestra was excellent, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, and in general the singing is very good.
However, there are flaws with this production, I am afraid to say. First was Francisco Araiza, his voice was far too heavy for the role of Tamino, and I was surprised when he sang softly, shame he didn't do it more often. The moment when he did sing softly would have been completely ruined if he hadn't done so, for that is a very poignant moment. Another was Ah ich fuhl, Lucia Popp sang beautifully and was very expressive, but it is meant to be a lament, and a heart rending one at that, it was conducted way too fast, and it came across as rather cold, despite the gorgeous melody. Edita Gruberova disappointed too, she was imperial looking and everything, if only she reached those high notes, I couldn't hear them much at all. Yes, I accept she was trying not to force it, but queen of the Night wasn't as spine chilling as she is meant to be. The acting side also appeared rather basic, particularly with Queen of the Night and Tamino.
On the other hand, there are some pluses. Lucia Popp was stunning as Pamina, perhaps too old, but her singing was gorgeous. Wolfgang Brendel does overdo the role of Papagaeno once or twice, but he did get a number of laughs, from me that is, and he had a lovely presence. Kurt Moll gave a performance of nobility and firmness, apparent in both voice and facial expression. The ensemble performances were great. The chorus was fine, particularly the men, though they did tend to just stand there and look unanimated. The three ladies were excellent, very resonant in tone, and very rhythmic with each other. And the three boys? A huge surprise, what beautiful angelic voices.
Overall, a flawed production, but lovely to watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox
The 1983 production, directed by August Everding, looks wonderful, nothing too fancy, but has lovely costumes and sets- the serpent was certainly very menacing, and the Fire and Water scene was in particular well staged. I don't really need to detail how much I love Mozart's score, but I will do so anyway, from the rousing overture, the Birdcatcher's song, the Act 1 quintet, the heart rending solo arias Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schon and Ah ich fuhl, the spine chilling queen of the Night aria, the haunting Isis and Osiris chorus, the hilarious Papagaeno Papagaena, to the powerful finale, it is a feast for the listener. The orchestra was excellent, conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch, and in general the singing is very good.
However, there are flaws with this production, I am afraid to say. First was Francisco Araiza, his voice was far too heavy for the role of Tamino, and I was surprised when he sang softly, shame he didn't do it more often. The moment when he did sing softly would have been completely ruined if he hadn't done so, for that is a very poignant moment. Another was Ah ich fuhl, Lucia Popp sang beautifully and was very expressive, but it is meant to be a lament, and a heart rending one at that, it was conducted way too fast, and it came across as rather cold, despite the gorgeous melody. Edita Gruberova disappointed too, she was imperial looking and everything, if only she reached those high notes, I couldn't hear them much at all. Yes, I accept she was trying not to force it, but queen of the Night wasn't as spine chilling as she is meant to be. The acting side also appeared rather basic, particularly with Queen of the Night and Tamino.
On the other hand, there are some pluses. Lucia Popp was stunning as Pamina, perhaps too old, but her singing was gorgeous. Wolfgang Brendel does overdo the role of Papagaeno once or twice, but he did get a number of laughs, from me that is, and he had a lovely presence. Kurt Moll gave a performance of nobility and firmness, apparent in both voice and facial expression. The ensemble performances were great. The chorus was fine, particularly the men, though they did tend to just stand there and look unanimated. The three ladies were excellent, very resonant in tone, and very rhythmic with each other. And the three boys? A huge surprise, what beautiful angelic voices.
Overall, a flawed production, but lovely to watch. 8/10 Bethany Cox