Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT

Critic’s Pick

Review: Fresh Talent Fuels ‘The Magic Flute’ at the Met

An exceptional cast provides delights in this trimmed-down, family-friendly version of Mozart’s fairy tale opera.

The tenor David Portillo as Tamino in “The Magic Flute” at the Metropolitan Opera.Credit...Karen Almond/Metropolitain Opera
The Magic Flute
NYT Critic’s Pick

There is undeniable magic in the Metropolitan Opera’s family-friendly version of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute”: in its wildly imaginative, puppet-filled staging by Julie Taymor; in its fairy tale of a knight on a quest to win the woman of his dreams while attaining enlightenment; in its snappy and colloquial English adaptation by J.D. McClatchy.

And there was even some extra magic added when the production — featuring a score trimmed to 85 intermission-free minutes — returned to the house on Sunday: the brilliant singing of a fine cast of youthful performers. Judging by the enthusiastic ovations that followed every aria, the audience was charmed.

Indeed, when the soprano Kathryn Lewek, as the Queen of the Night, sang her character’s dazzling and demonic aria, many people started clapping halfway through, right after she dispatched the famous music’s bursts of coloratura passagework with eerie ease and enormous sound. Yes, she was quite a sight in her fantastical costume, a mothlike figure with multiple flapping wings. But it was her singing that had some children near me sitting up in their seats and breaking into applause.

The conductor Lothar Koenigs, working with an abridgment of the score that loses the overture and entire numbers, drew elegance and breadth from the Met orchestra and chorus. You get the feeling this cast would be no less pleasing in a performance of the full, German-language version of the opera.

The tenor David Portillo, who was a standout at the Met last spring in Poulenc’s “Dialogues des Carmélites,” was wonderful as Tamino: a rich sound, melting phrasing during moments of lyrical reverie and impressively crisp diction. The soprano Joélle Harvey, who excelled as Almirena in the English Concert’s performance of Handel’s “Rinaldo” last year at Carnegie Hall, had an auspicious Met debut on Sunday as Pamina.

Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, comes to understand her mother’s failures and falls in love with Tamino. Ms. Harvey’s sumptuous voice and affecting vulnerability were ideal for this character, who may start off meek and loving but becomes Tamino’s steadfast equal during the trials they endure to gain entry into temple of wisdom overseen by Sarastro, here the stentorian bass Morris Robinson.

The tenor Rodell Rosel brought verve and flair to the malicious yet bungling Monostatos. And the hearty-voiced baritone Joshua Hopkins stole the show as Papageno, the hapless bird-catcher who reluctantly becomes Tamino’s sidekick on his quest. Mr. Hopkins’s antics and pratfalls had the audience giggling all afternoon. And they delighted in his delight when a longed-for spouse showed up: Papagena, here the appealing and sassy soprano Ashley Emerson.

There is a downside to downsizing the score with trims and omissions, though removing whole chunks of the spoken dialogue is actually beneficial; there’s way too much of it in the original libretto. Truncating sublime arias and ensemble numbers is a loss, but it’s smoothly done here. And the effect is heartening: so many children engrossed in a Mozart opera.

The Magic Flute

Through Jan. 4 at the Metropolitan Opera, Lincoln Center; metopera.org.

Anthony Tommasini is the chief classical music critic. He writes about orchestras, opera and diverse styles of contemporary music, and he reports regularly from major international festivals. A pianist, he holds a Doctorate of Musical Arts from Boston University. More about Anthony Tommasini

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section C, Page 6 of the New York edition with the headline: A Musical Fairy Tale, With a Bit Off the Top. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

Advertisement

SKIP ADVERTISEMENT