Opera Colorado’s gorgeous ‘Magic Flute’ immerses the senses

Simultaneously sublime and problematic, Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” always poses creative challenges. The music is immortal, as is the message, but the libretto has notorious pitfalls that are perhaps even more difficult in the 21st century.

Opera Colorado’s new production, running this week at the Ellie Caulkins Opera House in Denver, presents intriguing and often glorious responses to the challenges. At Tuesday night’s performance, the second of four, director Daniel Witzke’s imaginative conception immediately arrested the senses. The fairy tale framing device, presenting the plot as a dream of the lead character, Tamino, was extremely effective. The staging, which relied heavily on animated projections, was gorgeous and immersive.

The concept not only allowed seamless transitions of scene but enhanced the fairy tale atmosphere. A magnificent cast, featuring five Opera Colorado Young Artists, animated the proceedings as much as the virtual scenery.

Tenor Jonathan Boyd is a confident, bold Tamino but also capable of great tenderness, as in the famous “portrait” aria. Soprano Maureen McKay is exceptional as his beloved Pamina. A singer with striking presence and highly disciplined vocal technique, McKay transfixes the eyes and ears throughout the production.

Both, however, are nearly upstaged by baritone Daniel Belcher, whose recent performances in Denver and Central City have made him an area favorite. He is, quite simply, the best Papageno one could hope for. Possessing a coveted combination of comic panache and vocal prowess, Belcher knows how to steal a scene. The character’s two very familiar strophic arias seem new and refreshing when Belcher sings them.

This opera can succeed or fail based on the casting of the Queen of the Night. The role is really not very large, but the Queen’s two arias contain the highest notes in the standard operatic repertoire, require extreme agility, and the second is so familiar, even to people who have never attended an opera, that any misstep is obvious. Soprano So Young Park not only nailed every note but sang them both while precariously perched on a narrow platform suspended high above the stage. This was one of the most exciting — and risky — elements of Witzke’s staging.

Bass Harold Wilson plays the high priest Sarastro in a remarkably unpretentious way, giving the character an almost Zen-like aura. While not quite as extreme in range as the Queen, Sarastro is still one of Mozart’s lowest major roles. Wilson was particularly affecting in the aria “In diesen heiligen Hallen.”

One of the most intriguing aspects of the production is the handling of the problematic role of Monostatos. The character was written as a very negative racial stereotype, but Witzke deftly sidesteps almost all of these aspects simply by having tenor Joseph Gaines wear a ridiculous — but wonderful — costume and replacing references to “blackness” with “ugliness.” Gaines plays the role with villainous delight and was a crowd favorite.

Also deserving mention are young artists Leah Bobbey and Katherine Sanford, joined by veteran Marcia Ragonetti as the Queen’s Three Ladies. Their radiant harmonies enliven the first scenes. Baritone Sam Handley is superb in the nearly thankless but crucial role of the speaker. Young artists Brett Sprague and Andrew Paulson are similarly strong as the men in armor, who sing in difficult parallel octaves. The three sprites (usually boys) are played by three girls, and their high harmonies are otherworldly.

Soprano Camille Jasensky is delightful in the small role of Papagena. Her duet with Belcher is pure joy. But Witzke unfortunately “unmasks” her too late from her disguise as an old crone.

The orchestra was impeccable under conductor Joseph Mechavich in the overture and elsewhere. Papageno’s bells were especially well handled. John Baril’s chorus was reliably excellent, most notably in the all-male priestly hymns.

The only disappointment was in the handling of the spoken dialogue, always an issue with this opera. The decision to present it in English (the music was sung in the original German) worked well enough, but far too much of it was cut. The attempt to streamline the action was admirable but overdone. Too many plot points were glossed over and left unexplained — such as Sarastro’s motives — and great opportunities for more comedy from Belcher were sacrificed.