>>PREVIEW
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Calgary Opera
Runs until April 30
Jubilee Auditorium
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe said about Mozart’s The Magic Flute, "It is enough that the crowd would find pleasure in seeing the spectacle; at the same time, its high significance will not escape the initiates."
The Magic Flute, one of the most performed operas ever, is an ideal introduction to the art form, yet continues to fascinate opera buffs. Some make it a lifelong study to decipher all the symbols and hidden connections to the politics of 1791, the Masons and Mozart’s life. The music is sublime, memorable and lyrical. The plot is quite complex and magical, a fairy tale that fascinates audiences of all ages. The characters are definitely bizarre, which frees designers to clothe them in spectacular ways in surreal surroundings.Calgary Opera has chosen an English translation for its last production of the season, in both the dialogue and singing of this two-act Singspiel. The subtitles above the stage will act as good guides to the layers of events and characters.
The story follows the search for true love, good triumphing over evil. But it is a well-fleshed-out plot – Prince Tamino, armed only with a magic flute, is on the quintessential road trip in a quest for love, truth and beauty, but many characters, forces, challenges, trials and tests animate his journey. His sidekick Papageno, the birdman, provides comic relief and has his own love story with Papagena, who, like others in the opera, is not always what she seems. Tamino seems to be aided by the manipulative Queen of the Night, but she uses her own daughter, the courageous Pamina, for her own ends. The powers for good include the priest Sarastro, another misrepresented soul. And a large supporting cast – a trio of women in service to the Queen of the Night, another tinier trio of boy-angel guides, and Monostatos, whose loyalties are flexible. Then we have some light strokes such as padlocked lips, enchanted animals, a magic flute, Papageno’s magical instruments, a snake and maybe a dragon or two.
Theatre director Emanuel Schikaneder wrote the libretto based on at least two sources and designed the part of Papegeno for himself. To counterbalance any heavy Masonic ideas, Schikaneder inserted fantasy and stage magic to captivate his audience.
The Magic Flute was written in the last year of Mozart’s life and reveals the master’s ability to write for a range of dexterity and skills in the singers, while distinguishing characters and moving the plot along. In ensembles, he combines the voices of virtuosos with comic actors, such as Papegeno, into a pleasing sound. This is also the first and perhaps the last opera written with notes in the lowest human register, sung by Sarastro, and the highest human register, sung by the Queen of the Night.
American coloratura soprano Heather Buck sings Queen of the Night for the Calgary Opera Production. It’s a part she has sung many times and says the hardest part is the F notes above the treble staff. Though she says it’s not exactly easy, she sings those notes with confidence. In this opera, Buck sees "a variety of music and a variety of characters, all of whom get their moment to shine singing glorious music.
"As a performer, you have to forget the intellectual part of it, find the truth and sing it to the audience." |
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