Last Updated on March 15, 2024
David McVicar’s much loved production approaches 20 and shows no sign of hanging up its magic flute.
The Magic Flute was the first opera I ever saw. In fact, it was this very same production of the Mozart singspiel, already a revival when I saw it as a tween circa 2008. Premiering in January 2003 and seen most recently in 2019 and 2021, it has remained a fan favourite, and doesn’t look like it’ll be retiring anytime soon.
It’s obvious why The Magic Flute remains a family favourite: a fairytale story with prince, sea monsters, true love with a happy ending and a dash of bawdy humour. For all its ‘panto’ qualities, the magic flute is a rather more nuanced story than I was able to pick up on first viewing. Mozart probes themes of enlightenment: the spiritual and material represented by light and dark, masculine and feminine. This deft ability to layer narrative and philosophy allows the work to successfully appeal to audiences of any age.
Designed by John Macfarlane, this production still delights. The set, which consists of dark corniced sections of wall that move to guide the players and reveal different rooms, or shift aside to reveal the constellations and swirling brushstrokes of night sky backdrop for the queen of the night’s interludes. Chiaroscuro lighting from Paule Constable echoes the themes of enlightenment and add a dash of visual magic. This combination creates beautiful tableaus that evoke baroque paintings to great effect.
Contrasting with this finely aged staging, a youthful cast featuring a couple of past and present Jette Parker artists bring energy to the familiar arias. Remarkably none of the cast have been struck down with illness that always threaten this time of year.
Filipe Manu fully embodies Tamino, the humble prince on a journey of discovery with true love at stake with a rich expressive voice. Manu seems to have a bright future ahead of him: look out for the tenor at Glyndebourne this summer. Accompanying Tamino on his voyage is of course Papageno, taken on by Gyula Orendt with ease. He masters the physical comedy – crashing into walls, falling flat on his face and falling for any woman he comes across.
Queen of the Night Aigul Khismatullina confidently captures the attention of the audience during her arias, during which remarkably the coughing and dropping of phones that accompanied the rest of the performance was silenced. Khismatullina is note perfect and conveys the emotions of a mother robbed of her child well.
Anna Prohaska’s Pamina struggles to find her feet amongst the clamour of Monostatos and his flunkeys. She has a sweet tone, but lacks some presence on the crowded stage competing with Khismatullina, Manu and Brindley Sherratt. Veteran Sherratt (who may have even been the Sarastro in 2008 when I was first in the audience) brings authority and clearly has a good grasp of Sarastro, his bold bass cuts through the busyness of the stage with ease.
Returning to this production of the Magic Flute has been a pleasure: it has retained its magic for me, and added a layer of intellectual intrigue. Despite everyone’s familiarity with the score, this cast brings exuberance, ensuring that for the audience it feels like the drama is unfolding for the first time.
16 December 2022 – 28 January 2023
Bow Street, London
WC2E 9DD
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