Have you seen or are you planning to see The Magic Flute? What do you think about the production?
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About this production The Magic Flute:
Welcome to a world where animals dance and children fly. Where princes battle dragons and hope battles despair. To a world where ideas matter, and music saves the day.
Welcome to an enchanting new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Julie Taymor, director of The Lion King, has taken Mozart’s fairy tale and turned it into a show that speaks to the child in all of us. Dazzling costumes, puppetry, English dialogue and theatrical ingenuity meet the melodies of a musical genius. This could be the perfect introduction to opera.
Welcome to an enchanting new production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
Julie Taymor, director of The Lion King, has taken Mozart’s fairy tale and turned it into a show that speaks to the child in all of us. Dazzling costumes, puppetry, English dialogue and theatrical ingenuity meet the melodies of a musical genius. This could be the perfect introduction to opera.
Tamino is a noble prince on a quest. He discovers strange lands and wondrous creatures but will he discover the truth behind the magic? And will he find true love?
Click on the relevant dates below for more information and tickets for your city:
Sydney Opera House: 6 January - 23 March
The Arts Centre, Melbourne: 21 April - 12 May
Queensland Performing Arts Centre (QPAC): 26 May - 8 June
An absolute magical experience ... Music, drama, lighting & choreography very well structured and all beautifully flowing with every one in the audience bonded to the performance. Highly recommended!
ReplyDeleteEmma Pearson stunning singing as Q of Night! I suppose we will lose her to Europe v quickly! Singing overall v good. Costumes and puppetry worked great. Scenery did not work too well in some scenes. Lot of expense for mixed results. When it all worked: fantastic. Cuts to the music deplorable. Krips, Moralt, Keilberth, Schuricht, (each an International Mozarteum Foundation conductor)Szell, Klemeperer and Boehm would never have consented to work with dropping the overture.Nor would Beecham for that matter. I saw all of these in Mozart! Balance at beginning lost. Cant make it up with running around the front of the orchestra with the serpent. Nice try spoilt by obsession with visual and pantomime effects. Schikaneder might have approved but certainly not Mozart himself. After pocketing his fee he would have complained in a letter about it all. The Massonic link was possibly lost as a result; but I can live with that. Darlington has Glyndebourne credentials and did a good Fidelio here. I cannot approve of the cuts but what was played was done extremely well musically.
ReplyDeleteOverall I enjoyed the performance. I thought David Parkin was struggling to reach the lowest notes. While the Queen of the Night -Suzanne Shakespeare -struggled to reach the top notes. The costumes were great, the puppetry was novel and the scenery interesting. For me Papageno stole the show.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed the night and can recommend the "The Magic Flute".
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the performance and knew there were to be cuts from the score. Given it is not a long Opera i was saddened to hear this.
ReplyDeleteI was very impressed by the staging and saw many references to the beautiful Lion King used here so well once more.
I know the music is quite light however i find the Sydney Opera House orchestra pit deplorable. Having said that Suzanne Shakespeare made it through her big aria but there was no vocal power to her voice and hence the aira for me was not impressive.
John Longmuir though good had some difficulty through the "passage" of the voice and not overly strong of voice.
David Parkin i felt has a lovely voice but the low notes were not terribly impressive. Once again there was not much power in his voice unfortunately.
The highlights of the night were especially Nicole Car and her gorgeous resonance n warm fullness of voice, and according to the Cast List i received on entry to the theatre, showed it was Andrew Jones as Papgeno. I saw the Mon 23rd Performance. What a lovely voice he had too.
The Three Ladies blended beautifully n were delightful.
All in all i would have preferred stronger singers and opening the pit more !
I look forward to my other Operas in the Subscription as i am expecting more bang for my buck later in the season.
anthony, anthony2042@hotmail.com
Anthony, you are right in your assessment of the orchestra pit in the Opera Theatre. Unfortunately, opening it up is an extremely difficult thing to do and would mean major engineering works to the building. The Australian Opera and Ballet Orchestra has been coping with the less-than-ideal conditions for many, many years now - hopefully one day the necessary funds will be found and the pit can be opened out properly.
DeleteJust wanted to correct a mistake here. John Longmuir is yet to perform Tamino. The tenor you saw was Andrew Brunsdon. John Longmuir joins the cast on the 23rd February.
DeleteCharm and liveliness were the key to the performance on 23th January 2012 of the Magic Flute, by Mozart. As such, the work was presented well to a target audience in which there were many tourists and many young children. The children obviously enjoyed the puppetry and were engaged on that level, and, as an adult so was I.
ReplyDeleteHowever the lack of strong voices in the principal singers, Susan Shakespeare and David Parkin was a disappointment, and resulted in a lack of drama. The villainess was not scary!
The young lovers, Andrew Brunsden and Nicole Car were in good voice and gave charming performances.
Liveliness was personified in the performance of Andrew Jones as Papageno, and this performance was the highlight of the night.
The Magic Flute (Sydney Opera House, 25 January)
ReplyDeleteThis performance got started quickly without the overture (which I had been expecting). The plot was very easy to follow and was sung in English with surtitles (words projected above the stage) to really guarantee you cannot miss anything. So it was readily comprehensible and entertaining. The staging was excellent with puppets and an imaginative rotating set. I am not an expert on opera but it seemed to be a very polished performance with the singers, puppets and orchestra all playing their parts with humour and musicality.
This production maybe isn’t for the opera-purists, as it’s obviously a non-traditional version. Although I have seen some reviewers recommend this for kids, I would caution against that unless they have a reasonable attention span. No matter how good a performance is, if your kids won’t sit still for about an hour (the timing on each act) then it will be wasted on them. The target audience would seem to include those opera-goers who are broad-minded enough to accept some tinkering (such as the musical cuts and the translation into English). However I think that the most appreciative audience will be those who have seen some musicals and are wondering how they would enjoy a real opera. I would recommend it to this audience. So I suggest that, if you loved the Lion-King or Mary Poppins (or light opera such as the Pirates of Penzance) and would be interested in trying something a bit more classical, then you should buy tickets for this. The production is funny, entertaining and the music is excellent.
Tim (thinknut@optusnet.com.au)
This week I didn't know what to expect upon climbing those iconic steps. Opera had always appeared too high brow for me. Well, I was absolutely blown away by the sheer artistry of 'The Magic Flute'. As a child I adored the story. It's such an enchanting tale. To see this adventure grace the stage in full colour, voice and symphonic splendour was a thrill. The costumes, the sets with looming large puppets provide sophisticated eye candy. This production provides magical music to your ears. It's one of those shows that the whole family can cherish. A fabulous way of getting children to embrace the wonderful world of opera.
ReplyDeletelindanathaniel@bigpond.com.au
An outstanding night of entertainment. Costumes were magnificent. The puppetry was outstanding and the props were very clever. After a backstage tour it was most interesting to see how the production was staged. This wonderful night of entertainment sadly finished too soon for us. This was the perfect show for people who are unsure if opera is for them. Our audience consisted of young children to the elderly and all were enthralled.
ReplyDeleteI have seen some low-budget productions of The Magic Flute with minimal props, costumes and scenery, and have been entranced as these portrayed the uplifting beauty and emotions of Mozart’s music and the singer’s interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThe publicity rightly led people to anticipate colourful costumes and special effects as a Disney-like show. It is successful as there were many children and first-time opera-goers enjoying the show and laughing at the well-known jokes, e.g. Is Tamino still alive after the serpent appears?
One critic rated The Magic Flute 10/10, and I am happy to promote this for children rather than “Hairy McClary”. But, as an introduction to opera, perhaps the audience is diverted from appreciating the sublime vocal lines and drama because of busy magic effects.
Sung in English, the diction was not always clear. Hye Seoung Kwon as Pamina was delightful and meticulously prepared. I have heard most of the great singers as Queen of the Night, but this one did not project to the audience the amazing “wow” that usually comes from just hearing very high notes!
The plot lost its tension and climax because of the cuts, e.g. we were suddenly told that all tests had been passed successfully. I realize that some other cuts were made to cater for the new young audience as there was restlessness during the love arias. Yet, my memory of The Magic Flute as a young viewer is that the duet between Pamina and Papageno was pure magic.
Papageno is made the star, and so the focus has shifted from the search for truth by Tamino and Pamina, aided by The Magic Flute.
I have seen some low-budget productions of The Magic Flute with minimal props, costumes and scenery, and have been entranced as these portrayed the uplifting beauty and emotions of Mozart’s music and the singer’s interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThe publicity rightly led people to anticipate colourful costumes and special effects as a Disney-like show. It is successful as there were many children and first-time opera-goers enjoying the show and laughing at the well-known jokes, e.g. Is Tamino still alive after the serpent appears?
One critic rated The Magic Flute 10/10, and I am happy to promote this for children rather than “Hairy McClary”. But, as an introduction to opera, perhaps the audience is diverted from appreciating the sublime vocal lines and drama because of busy magic effects.
Sung in English, the diction was not always clear. Hye Seoung Kwon as Pamina was delightful and meticulously prepared. I have heard most of the great singers as Queen of the Night, but this one did not project to the audience the amazing “wow” that usually comes from just hearing very high notes!
The plot lost its tension and climax because of the cuts, e.g. we were suddenly told that all tests had been passed successfully. I realize that some other cuts were made to cater for the new young audience as there was restlessness during the love arias. Yet, my memory of The Magic Flute as a young viewer is that the duet between Pamina and Papageno was pure magic.
Papageno is made the star, and so the focus has shifted from the search for truth by Tamino and Pamina, aided by The Magic Flute.
An absolute dream! M'y first opéra, though i am french and opéra in Paris is meant to be stunning i never had an opportunity to see one! As a first experience it was just magical! The queen of the night was stunning and Papageno was very sweet! I hope to see many More opéra as good as this one, with such singers and the extraordinary décors!
ReplyDeleteI was really impressed and impressed my fiance as well!
Many thanks for this beautiful night.
it was an enchantement of the flute!
Mathilde
Matpercheron@yahoo.fr
Ok. So we have, through past reviews, established Sarastro (David Parkin) was struggling a little on the very low notes. I agree the opening of the pit more would have assisted, and coping with the less-than-ideal conditions this brings is an enormous technical challenge. I also sympathise regarding the cuts from the score, which of course less than ideal.
ReplyDeleteSo focusing on the positives – it’s what I’ve shelled out my hard-earned money for – The Magic Flute on 11 February was for me a beautiful night of escape at the opera. I should warn anyone who is reading on, this is a review coming from a woman who dances to early 90s pop like it’s the best stuff ever written, also whose 10 year old self who thought MacGyver’s mullet hairstyle was the height of fashion. Yes, back in my Bogan days growing up in a remote country town, the limited access to the outside world was via two TV stations and ABC Classic FM. It’s a wonder I’m at the opera at all, really. But… back to the production…
I got a sheer pleasure from the pure balance achieved with the chorus parts. The Queen of the Night (Emma Pearson) was brilliant.
Papageno (Andrew Jones) completely stole the show and by the end of the night I was ready to go home with him and be his ladybird myself if Papagena (Kiandra Howarth) didn’t show up. I wasn’t entirely alone in that sentiment, either, judging from the loud applause he received during the curtain call.
The talent of the young boys cast as the first, second and third spirits were golden finds. I’m assuming were originally roles written for castrati – so the casting was somewhat younger than Mozart perhaps intended, and I’m sure all the more roles challenging for these young people. But these identities (and costumes), with magical voices to boot, rose to the occasion, played by William McDermott, Matthew Phillips and Jussi Jenssen were simply enchanting.
The scenery design by George Tsypin, costume by Julie Taymor and Puppetry by designers Michael Curry and Julie Tamor was every bit of a spectacle as we had anticipated. No let downs there. The large clear panels set with portals, stairwells and lit hieroglyphics which rotated and fit together as each scene required were breathtaking. The cast appeared to move over these elements flawlessly.
The puppets were clever and fit well with the scenes, particularly (unexpectedly) the larger bears, of which one was operated by several persons which may or may not have required hours of coordinated rehearsal. They all achieved a kind of ephemeral grace which looked so easy to the viewer. The bird characters and themes were completed extraordinarily well with elements attached to the puppeteers’ bodies in different and creative ways. The first, second and third ladies (Jane Parkin, Victoria Lambourn and Margaret Plummer) with costume attachment masks managed to integrate their mask pieces as if a they were second skins.
The night was beautiful escape for us – we don’t see opera very often (hoping to change that in 2012), and a special treat. I’m so glad Opera Australia has been able to provide audiences here this innovative production adaptation from the Metropolitan Opera in New York. I’m all for encouraging exceptional talent and creative development for the stage in Australia, however there is still something alluring about occasionally experiencing an overseas product in our own backyards. Nevertheless, it was gorgeous to see Papageno (Andrew Jones) pepper his spoken dialogue spoken in the heavy Australian accent – this would not have always been the case.
Overall, an inspiring experience and an unusual pairing of costumes and puppetry more at home in the festival context than on the opera stage. Yes, I freely confess, as a visual artist, the costume, puppets and set design was the real reason I got tickets. I wonder what Mozart would have thought of the visual spectacle or distractions on stage.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I just need to go and dig out my bird costume from the garage, in the hope of stumbling across Papageno at my local coffee shop….
I am a newcomer to live opera performances. I have now seen three - Carmen, Turandot and the Magic Flute. Each style has its strengths and the perfect performance is yet to be developed. I enjoyed Magic Flute on Saturday 11 February. It was billed as a family opera. Therefore some aspects needed to be changed to suit the younger audience. The use of English made it appealing and coupled with the bright & engaging costuming the overall effect was enthralling. A "perfect" foil for me to the heavy handed staid Turandot I'd witnessed earlier that afternoon.
ReplyDeleteBeing in the audience at the AO's production of The Magic Flute was like looking through a giant, magical kaleidoscope. At every turn, the glittering pieces formed a new picture filled with colour and light. Added to this, the further magic of Mozart's music was played and sung with lightness and obvious enjoyment so that only the most critical would deny that this was wonderful escapist entertainment. What better way to end the week than travelling home on a Friday night with the memory of that final sunlit scene of white and gold!
ReplyDeleteVon McLeod
mcleod@unwired.com.au
This is the first time I have seen The Magic Flute, although I know some of the music - I was enthralled with the staging, costumes, lighting and the wonderful puppetry (especially the bears, which the little ones actually reminded me of my dog)- even down to the little hand puppet held by the conductor. It was a magical evening. I loved Papageno (Andrew Jones) and his Aussie accent when speaking. The costumes were magnificent and added so much to the performance and staging was splendid. I was amazed at the amount of children in the evening performance but they were obviously spell bound as well - what a wonderful opera to introduce young people to the Opera. Well done Opera Australia.
ReplyDeleteDianne Lewis
diannejoylewis@yahoo.com.au
Enjoyed The Magic Flute so very much. It was a visual feast and so very entertaining. Light and refreshing. Just enough drama to keep me bound to my seat, but the light and spectacular staging made the whole evening a joyful delight. Much like being a child at a circus or pantomine, I left the theatre feeling very happy and very well entertained. Love Opera Australia. Thank you, Jenette. 17th February 2012.
ReplyDeleteThe Magic Flute was a truly magical experience, transporting this jaded adult into a world of heroic deeds, fantastic beasts, fluttering birds, true love and soaring, spectacular music. A world where anything can happen: good overcomes evil, love transforms mere mortals into heroes and exquisite music softens even the hardest heart. The stunning rotating stage glitters like a crystal palace through which our heroes and heroines roam, surrounded by the shimmering colours of the ingenious puppets that roam this mystical land. It is a credit to the singers and orchestra that they manage to hold their own against such a visual feast and elevate the music to the sublime. The sense of joy and fun that infuses the singers is infectious but Papageno's impish and cheeky charm stole the show. I floated home sure that good will out, love will prevail, and that music brings joy.
ReplyDeleteWent with my five-year-old son and his six-year-old friend and his dad, and it was a real hit for them AND the dads. Luckily the Papagena/Papageno duet is also on YouTube so have been able to let my boy relive that bit again and again. The staging was magnificent; truly magical. Fully understand the need to compress the opera a little for younger audience. And it really did work in English. Congratulations on cultivating a new generation of opera-lovers.
ReplyDeleteI took my 10 year old daughter to see the Magic Flute on 17 Feb. It was her first time to the opera and I was hoping it would be a magical experience for her. It couldn't have been better.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I was surprised it was in English, it did add to her understanding and enjoyment of the evening. The staging far surpassed a production of the Magic Flute I saw at the Opera House over ten years ago. The puppetry by Julie Taymor is especially wonderful and imaginative, (as are the costumes) and was quite entrancing for both of us. When I pointed out to my daughter afterwards that the Queen of the Night stuggled a little with the high notes and that Sarastro struggled a little with the low notes, she told me I was being mean.
All in all, a wonderful night that exceeded my expectations. A great production to introduce children to opera.
Opera Australia's latest interpretation of The Magic Flute, is an accessible pantomime perfect for children or those attending a performance for the first time. The set is amazing, and helps enhance the fantasy world of The Magic Flute. The production as a whole, however, lacks depth and precise execution. Luke Gabbedy as Papageno is engaging and lively, carrying the rest of the cast who seem unsure and inexperienced. Suzanne Shakespeare's performance, whilst having the required versatility, was missing the power and authority that should denote the Queen of the Night. The decision to omit the overture for no clear reason took away the familiar and the text being sung in English seemed almost awkward. Overall the performance was entertaining but did not reach its potential. Matthew Chee matthew.w.chee@gmail.com
ReplyDeleteMagic Flute is probably on most peoples list of favourite operas and rightly so. With it's famous and memorable tunes and fairytale story it's hard to beat. Opera Australia's new production has had mixed reviews with people either loving it or hating it (for it's music cuts and setting)
ReplyDeleteI thought it was a great production being set "somewhere between the Sun and Moon" it looked more like the fortress of solitude with lots of see through shapes and blue lights.
The revolving stage spun to reveal new scenes and the shaped sets also moved independently creating new playing spaces.
Another trepidation was the relatively young cast that can sometimes lead to a less exiting show vocally, that was NOT the case here.
All three of the main characters were well cast and had a great chemistry in their scenes, with the supporting cast all more or less matching.
John Longmuir as Tamino had a more italianete quality not usually found in a Tamino, with a beautiful and ringing tone he made the treacherous "flute aria" seem like a nursery rhyme. He also managed to bring an innocence to the oriental inspired prince that really worked with the rest of the cast.
Luke Gabbedy as Pappageno the not too bright bird catcher was delightful. Dressed in a green costume that looked a bit like pyjamas with a "bird cage" over the top he sang and jumped around the stage with confidence.
Nicole Car rounded out the main cast as Pamina the kidnapped daughter of the Queen of the night. Again, a youthful innocence filled her character which made her gorgeous rendition of "Ach ich Fuhls" all the more heartbreaking. These are three singers I'll be keeping my eye on in the future.
Honourable mentions must go to Kanen Breen (who has a knack for stealing scenes in his bird/bat style costume which was truly disturbing)
Suzanne Shakesphere who sang the Queens 2 arias technically brilliant (if a little softly) and David Parkin a formidable figure with a lovely bassy sound.
All in all a great performance and a perfect show for first timers or children.
The performance of the Magic Flute is a truely remarkable and wonderful night of entertainment. It transports us to a colourful and mystical world where for 2 hours, one is able to forget the ordinary and become totally absorbed in the rich layers of beautiful voices, splendid music and gorgeous costumes. I had a smile on my face the whole evening.
ReplyDeleteWe went to the performance last night, our first opera- my daughter, a friend, her husband and their 2 girls. We were totally enthralled by the costumes and sets. My daughter and I both knew a few of the songs (esp Queen of the Night Aria- our favourite). We were not disappointed! I love the Opera theatre at the Opera House and enjoyed our evening totally. My daughter (8 years old) liked that it was sung in English and the 2 other girls (who knew nothing of the opera) found it easy to understand, although some of the story needed a little explanation. We all were enraptured by this colourful and engaging evening. The cleverness of the costumes and make up:- the three ladies, queen of the night costume were rich and modern and still maintained grandeur that one would expect at an opera.The staging is wonderful and the birds, the bears and other puppetry really brought life to the performance with art and creativity rather than the whistles and bells of technology. I know this may not be 'true' to opera purists, but is a great introduction to opera and we will, as a result, save up to attend other perfomances. Thank you Opera Australia!
ReplyDeleteDesley
desleynlola@gmail.com
Great performance marred only by the bass (Sarastro)who lets the side down badly. Outstanding sets and costumes.
ReplyDeleteWell how things change- a few hardy souls at Melbourne opening night were in black tie but mostly the audience dressed down - which is just as well because although the production is dressed up as a cross between Cirque du Soleil and G&S it is definitely not Mozart.
ReplyDeleteA few good tunes to keep the troops happy, a libretto which dominates the music and the sacrifice of the all important recitative, not to mention most of the arias and overture.
Never mind the performers seemed to be having a good time not having to sing as much - even though the Queen of the Night's F6 was more like a mouse squeak and Sarasto's F could resonate more it at least has promise. Papageno was a cross betwen Eddie Murphy's donkey in Shrek and an obnoxious adolescent and it is really a bit much when you can hear the rumbling of the scene changes behind the curtain while the principal artists are emoting away out front.
Perhaps the ACCC could investigate for false and misleading advertising- Magic it was, Mozart it wasn't.
Suggest that OA tour it in their schools program as an introduction to opera- for the adult audiences it is, to quote "about the music stupid".
Score Magic -1 Mozart -0
I attended the performance last night with my 3.5year old daughter. She has been learning about the Magic Flute - story and music - for the past 3 months in preparation. She was delighted and loved it and was engaged the whole way through. Even she realised that the overture had been cut - it was sorely missed, but overall, the length of the performance worked well for us given her age and it was a very colourful first venture to the opera for her and one she will remember and talk about for some time.
ReplyDeleteI was more critical than my daughter. The Queen of the Night (Lorina Gore) was most disappointing and did not manage to sing either of her arias successfully. What is the point of adding extra bells and whistles with top notes in the second act aria, when she struggled to maintain an even line and beauty of tone? It sounded like a big screech-fest to me and although the character may be evil, one still needs to produce a good sound and one that is pleasing to the ears. I felt for her because perhaps missing the top notes in the first aria affected the delivery of the second aria. She did not sound comfortable from the outset. There’s a lot of pressure placed on anyone singing this role and I really sympathised with the singer last night, but you really need to be able to nail it. Miscast perhaps? I realise that we may not have too many coloratura sopranos in Australia capable of singing this role, but I do not think her singing this repertoire is doing her any favours and to be honest when one pays as much money as I did to go to the opera, I expect the singers to deliver. I haven’t been to the opera for a while and perhaps I am comparing to the quality of singers I became accustomed to while living in Europe for almost 10 years.
What was the thought process behind having some of the singers, chiefly Papageno, deliver their dialogue in an oka Australian accent? It seemed strange to go from using lovely rounded vowels while singing to the Aussie accent – a real mismatch and a bit too rough around the edges for me.
I hope Opera Australia continues to cater for the younger audiences as much as possible.
The Magic Flute - Melbourne - 26 April. Having been thrilled by the world-class production of Turandot the previous evening with its amazingly effective choreography and outstanding interpretation of Puccini's score, I was severely underwhelmed by the Magic Flute. The crass American translation and all those annoying people waving things around on sticks detracted a great deal from Mozart's beautiful music, although I did enjoy the opening scene and found the three ladies appropriately eerie. Andrew Jones as Papageno did his best to brighten things up but had an uphill task given the lack of animation of most of the other characters. His voice is very fine, as are those of Andrew Brunston (Tamino) and Taryn Fiebig (Pamina), but why was Tamino Japanese? And why was the celebrated duet between Papageno and Pamina omitted? From the moment when Lorina Gore (Queen of the Night) missed a high note for the first time, we waited anxiously for it to happen again, which it did several times during both her important arias. This should not happen in professional opera. The part of Sarastro calls for a mature bass with a powerful voice and stage presence and David Parkin is not yet up to (or down to)the role. Another strange feature was the cardboard-like appearance of many of the costumes, which were so restrictive that the humans looked more puppet-like than the puppets themselves. The Lion King was a brilliant presentation of a children's cartoon story but in this case the story got lost in the spectacle. I expect this production was enjoyable for children but to me it was very uninspired and not what I had paid a large amount in airfares and hotel costs to see.
ReplyDeleteMy wife and I went to The Magic Flute in Melbourne on 26th April. Oh Dear OA, really it was a waste of time, and a waste of the trip to Melbourne. Andrew Jones stood out in all respects - singing and acting - Andrew Brunston and Taryn Fiebig were OK, but poor Lorina Gore just was not up to it. One could hardly hear the three boys / spirits (and we were in row H, not at the back) and David Parkin's voice was not strong enough to deliver powerful Sarastro. So much cut out, so much dumbing down - does Mozart need this? The set, puppetry and costumes were fine, but cannot make make up for poor performances.
ReplyDeleteI have seen the Magic Flute several times. My friend was lamenting the cuts in the music, but hey people, lighten up. If we have the same production four times in a row (a la Madama Butterfly) it is sleep-inducing. This was fresh, colourful, and for the most part the music and singing were well done, most enjoyable and sometimes uplifting. Perhaps we were lucky to have Richard Anderson - no faltering on the bass notes there, and Lorina Gore made all but the Top F (a song written for a special soprano of Mozart's acquaintance and excruciatingly difficult to reach). I loved the settings, the boxy costumes and the masks, although I did wonder about the Japanese appearance of Pamino and the Egyptian appearance of the chorus (but if you are appealing to Isis and Osiris the latter is explained). I loved it .... and so did my friend, and people were talking about it (and talking to strangers about it) all the way back to Flinders Street Station.
ReplyDeleteJust got home after watching the performance to nigh. I have to say as an introduction to opera for my 2 girls, 6 and 8 it was brilliant. They loved the costumes, sets, music and the singing! They could follow the story line and they were both enthralled, with my younger daughter adding that she wants to buy the DVD when it comes out! It appears that many cannot appreciate this opera the way it was performed, if they paid attention to the advertising, it did mention that it was a good opera for kids to watch.....which means changes would have been made from the original opera to accommodate the younger generation. Congratulations Australia, you have gained 2 young patrons!
ReplyDelete