The Passion of Opera

I often go into a performance of Mozart's  Die Zauberflöte  somewhat reluctantly, feeling that it's hard to get beyond the lighthearted music and the bizarre storyline to something with any meaning. There is nothing wrong with just having fun, of course, but it often feels to me that the strange mix of morality, unusual atmosphere, and conflict undermines the comedy of  Flute  while the comedy undermines its seriousness. It offers many opportunities for imaginative productions, and of those I've seen this one manages most effectively to create an atmosphere of lighthearted fun, making it enjoyable while eschewing attempts to make a point or interpret the opera's deep bizarreness. General information & synopsis:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Flute Satyagraha | Philip Glass Credits: Director | Simon McBurney Associate Director | Max Webster Set Designer | Michael Levine Costume Designer | Nicky Gillibrand Lighting Designer | Jean Kal...

This production was, I'm fairly certain, the most thoroughly solid opera I have seen thus far at the Wiener Staatsoper. Everything seemed to fall into place, and the singers were able to craft truly engrossing interpretations of their roles. In general, I am not a fan of   Die Zauberflöte  because I find the plot to be jumpy, crazy, and with ill-joined disparately serious and comical sections. I find it hard to focus and hard to feel compelled by what occurs. This performance blended these different elements perfectly, and even as a critic of the work, I found myself swept up by both pageantry and mysticism. First, background and a synopsis of the wild plot:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Magic_Flute DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Adam Fischer |  Dirigent Marco Arturo Marelli |  Regie, Bühne und Licht Dagmar Niefind |  Kostüme   Günther Groissböck |  Sarastro Benjamin Bruns |  Tamino Julia No...