ZauberfloteDC - Page: 1 of 1

DIE ZAUBERFLOTE
The Magic Flute
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART
WASHINGTON NATIONAL OPERA
APRIL 17, 2005

Reviewed by Joseph Giannino
OperaOnline.us

THE STORY:
A little deception by the Queen of the Night is employed to induce Tamino to rescue her daughter from Sarastro’s captivity. Tamino, along with his friend Papageno, accept the offer from the Queen and set off with magic bells and flute to subdue the evil Sarastro. They quickly discover, however, that it is from the Queen that her daughter seeks refuge. They team with Sarastro to fight off the Queen’s undercover servant Monostatos and eventually win for Tamino the beautiful Pamina, and for Papageno a new bride, the transformed Papagena. The Queen of the Night is banished forever.

WHERE I VIEWED IT:
The Opera House at the Kennedy Center in our nation’s capitol is a fitting venue for opera – refurbished, sparkling new and spacious inside.

THE PERFORMANCE:
The Washington National Opera gave us an absolutely outstanding presentation and adaptation of Mozart’s The Magic Flute on Sunday, April 17th at the Kennedy Center in our nation’s capitol. This is one of those operas that doesn’t get the due it deserves – perhaps, underrated is a term that might apply. Although it was written for the Viennese people, not the court, it is a complex and serious piece of music, often referred to as an opera appropriate for people between the ages eight to eighty. The orchestra, under the expert direction of Heinz Fricke was tight and polished, and gave us some of Mozart’s most playful and sometimes reverent music, bundled in a presentation of glorious sound that was smooth and even and a joy to listen to – never overbearing yet never hesitant either. Those who follow Maestro Fricke’s style come to expect the best when he conducts and he never disappoints.
This is an opera that contains many important roles: from the Princely Tamino and the Princess Pamina, to the angry Queen of the Night and the reverent Sarastro and, yes, even comic interludes between Papageno and Papagana. The cast here was superb and up to the task, and especially so regarding the performance of Korean born bass Kwangshui Youn, singing the role of Sarastro. He has a solid singing voice, good stage presence and in this role, the demeanor to pull it all off nicely, particularly when he was pit against the Queen of the Knight, Amanda Pabyan, who also gave us a wonderful performance. The all important Queen of the Night arias were delivered by Ms. Pabyan with beauty and persona, breathing into this character both dimension and depth, musically and stylistically. Kudos must also go to Andrea Rost for her solid performance as Pamina. She not only sang well but gave a nice and measured performance that played well against a pretty talented cast sharing the stage with her that evening. Baritone Rod Gilfry, singing the role of Papageno and soprano Amanda Squitieri, singing the role of Papagena were marvelous together and displayed a pleasing and infections warmth and humor that came through in their characters. This was a talented cast, all around, and to neglect to mention every one – priests, spirits, ladies, evil servants is not to slight any. As noted Die Zauberflote is an opera with many important roles, and in this performance not a one detracted from the magic of the overall production. Stanley M Garner’s direction was darn near flawless; lighting by Michael Gottlieb was superb and moody, and set and costume design while austere, was effective and intriguing.
Once again, the Domingo-Cafritz singers handled their parts beautifully and sang well throughout. Lastly, for those interested in such things and who may want to explore this opera further, there is a lot to learn. Written by Shinadeker for Mozart to score, it contains a patchwork of Masonic ritual. For example, study all the character and events that just happen to be bunched in threes, a very important number in Freemason society. Some even blame the Freemasons for Mozart’s death, believing that he was murdered because he shared too many of their secrets. Well, there’s one secret that doesn’t have to be kept: this performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflote by the Washington National Opera was an unqualified success and pleasure to attend and behold.