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...

Le nozze di Figaro is, of course, a classic in the operatic canon. The cross-dressing, marriage/fidelity farce is typical of Mozart and Da Ponte in its ability to, like Shakespeare, convey both comedy and serious societal implications simultaneously. The thing is, for me, I went into this performance already weary, never having been very satisfied by either the comedy or the drama in this famous opera. I was reminded of the fact that while sometimes works can become overhyped, the crowds generally have some idea about things. I was reminded also that with something as famous as Nozze , perhaps I just had not seen a production that was good enough. That was exactly the case. This production demonstrated to me the genius of Mozart's beloved opera. Synopsis and general information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marriage_of_Figaro Le nozze di Figaro | Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Credits: Director | David McVicar Designs | Tanya McCallin Lighting Design | Paule Constable Mo...

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...