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English National Opera with De Nederlandse Opera

The Magic Flute

Photo by Robert Workman, copyright ENO

by Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart

Schikenader

London Coliseum

1 - 17 October, 2007

The Magic Flute is an opera by Mozart telling the story of the brave Tamino on his quest to save the fair Pamina. Pamina’s mother, the Queen of the Night, urges Tamino to rescue her from Sarastro who stole her away only to find that he must commit himself to Sarastro’s ways of purity before he can win Pamina’s heart and defeat the evil intentions of the Queen.

The English National Opera are reviving their interpretation for the twelfth and, sadly, the final time. From the moment it starts, we are surprised with lavish costumes, technical perfection and fantastic staging. Unlike many West End productions I can think of, the ENO have really made the most of a big budget to give the audience an array of surprises. The “Gesamtkunstwerk” of this piece was amazing, and the unity of the music, staging, acting and singing was superb, mostly thanks to the watchful eye of Ian Rutherford overseeing the revival.

The piece has a dream like quality, and the staging starts very, very simply but by the end we have travelled from a temple, to the forest, to a fortress and been part of an attempted attack leaving the audience wondering what just happened in the most wonderful way. The dramatic costume and fierce make up adds to the dichotomy of the opera mixing the classical with the contemporary. The Magic Flute seems to take place in an era outside of time, in a place outside of imagination.

Roderick Williams provides an amazing and consistent Papageno, playing him as the charmingly hapless sidekick rather than a bumbling idiot so that the audience’s heart really warms to his cause, and laughs along with it too!

Sarah-Jane Davies provides a strong Pamina with an excellent soprano voice, and well coupled with Andrew Kennedy: The chemistry between these two plays out a believable and heartfelt love story. Heather Buck shows absolutely pitch perfect range as Queen of the Night and I could only say “Wow” and drop my jaw in the aria “The Vengeance of Hell Boils Within My Heart.”

Right down to the three ladies-in-waiting (sung by Mairead Buicke, Madeleine Shaw and Antonia Sotgiu) who provide the right amount of playfulness, malice and comedy in their roles, as well as harmonising and playing off each other’s lines.

Jeremy Sams translation provides a wonderful and accessible text, making it a delight for English speaking audiences. The ENO have done a fantastic job of revealing the true beauty of opera by providing a digital lyrics screen above the stage to make it easier to follow and understand. It is amazing to think that this opera written over 210 years ago still has sentiments that hold true today. Papageno is punished for lying and the Three Ladies chime “If only all liars would get/ Such a padlock in front of their mouth!/ Instead of hatred, slander, black temper/ Love and Brotherhood would endure.” It just adds to the timeless quality of the piece.

It is a real shame that this is the last revival of the piece, so all I can do is urge you to go and see it while you still can! The tickets are worth every single penny you can throw at them. Forget the spectacle you think any West End show can offer you; the English National Opera have done it to the power of ten. Scrap all of your preconceptions or grudges you may have of the opera, The Magic Flute is a cultural winner that must be seen, and totally justifies why it is still so important that the arts should be funded. It is a perfect example of how opera has moved with the times. Isn’t it time you took the plunge and moved with it too?

			Theatre Review





	Reviewers Allan Taylor Archives Latest Theatre Reviews English National Opera with De Nederlandse Opera The Magic Flute Photo by Robert Workman, copyright ENO by Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart Schikenader London Coliseum 1 - 17 October, 2007 A review by Allan Taylor for EXTRA! EXTRA! The Magic Flute is an opera by Mozart telling the story of the brave Tamino on his quest to save the fair Pamina. Pamina’s mother, the Queen of the Night, urges Tamino to rescue her from Sarastro who stole her away only to find that he must commit himself to Sarastro’s ways of purity before he can win Pamina’s heart and defeat the evil intentions of the Queen. The English National Opera are reviving their interpretation for the twelfth and, sadly, the final time. From the moment it starts, we are surprised with lavish costumes, technical perfection and fantastic staging. Unlike many West End productions I can think of, the ENO have really made the most of a big budget to give the audience an array of surprises. The “Gesamtkunstwerk” of this piece was amazing, and the unity of the music, staging, acting and singing was superb, mostly thanks to the watchful eye of Ian Rutherford overseeing the revival. The piece has a dream like quality, and the staging starts very, very simply but by the end we have travelled from a temple, to the forest, to a fortress and been part of an attempted attack leaving the audience wondering what just happened in the most wonderful way. The dramatic costume and fierce make up adds to the dichotomy of the opera mixing the classical with the contemporary. The Magic Flute seems to take place in an era outside of time, in a place outside of imagination. Roderick Williams provides an amazing and consistent Papageno, playing him as the charmingly hapless sidekick rather than a bumbling idiot so that the audience’s heart really warms to his cause, and laughs along with it too! Photo by Robert Workman, copyright ENO Sarah-Jane Davies provides a strong Pamina with an excellent soprano voice, and well coupled with Andrew Kennedy: The chemistry between these two plays out a believable and heartfelt love story. Heather Buck shows absolutely pitch perfect range as Queen of the Night and I could only say “Wow” and drop my jaw in the aria “The Vengeance of Hell Boils Within My Heart.” Photo by Robert Workman, copyright ENO Right down to the three ladies-in-waiting (sung by Mairead Buicke, Madeleine Shaw and Antonia Sotgiu) who provide the right amount of playfulness, malice and comedy in their roles, as well as harmonising and playing off each other’s lines. Jeremy Sams translation provides a wonderful and accessible text, making it a delight for English speaking audiences. The ENO have done a fantastic job of revealing the true beauty of opera by providing a digital lyrics screen above the stage to make it easier to follow and understand. It is amazing to think that this opera written over 210 years ago still has sentiments that hold true today. Papageno is punished for lying and the Three Ladies chime “If only all liars would get/ Such a padlock in front of their mouth!/ Instead of hatred, slander, black temper/ Love and Brotherhood would endure.” It just adds to the timeless quality of the piece. Photo by Robert Workman, copyright ENO It is a real shame that this is the last revival of the piece, so all I can do is urge you to go and see it while you still can! The tickets are worth every single penny you can throw at them. Forget the spectacle you think any West End show can offer you; the English National Opera have done it to the power of ten. Scrap all of your preconceptions or grudges you may have of the opera, The Magic Flute is a cultural winner that must be seen, and totally justifies why it is still so important that the arts should be funded. It is a perfect example of how opera has moved with the times. Isn’t it time you took the plunge and moved with it too? Tickets from £10-£75 Contact box.office@eno.org Tel : 0870 145 0200 www.eno.org Oct 01 - 7:30pm Oct. 04 - 7:30pm Oct 06 - 2:30pm and 7:30pm Oct. 11 - 7:30pm Oct. 13 - 2:30pm and 7:30pm Oct. 16 - 7:30pm Oct. 17 - 7:30pm Copyright © EXTRA! EXTRA All rights reserved Allan Taylor Archives Reviewers Latest Theatre Reviews bMary Couzens