I beg to differ with those critics who earlier
this year tended to scorn David McVicar’s new production of Mozart’s
imperishable masterpiece. Its ambiguous yet subtle staging enhanced
by imaginative and focused lighting, its equally ambiguous-as-to-period
costumes, its endearing animal characterisations (masked-headed
actors and a huge man-twisting serpent etc) and the boys’ wooden-cart
like flying structure etc - all add a rather disarming charm.
The only jarring element is Ailish Tynan’s Papagena, the weakest
in a strong cast of soloists. She looks like Beryl Reid’s huge-ear-ringed
Marlene on a bad night in Birmingham.
The star of the production, who incidentally
drew the biggest applause, is Simon Keenleyside as Papageno portrayed
as a rather awkward, melancholy, buffoon, a cowardly chatterbox.
Diana Damrau chews the scenery with great relish as the cunning
and conniving Queen of the Night. Her volatile and treacherous
three ladies (Webster, Rice and Howard) are equally convincing.
Will Hartmann, in fine heroic voice makes a stalwart, stoical
Tamino matched by Dorothea Röschmann’s beautifully expressed
and composed Pamina. Franz-Josef Selig is an imposing yet also
sympathetic Sarastro and Thomas Allen an authoritative Speaker
of the Temple.
There are extra features included: an illustrated
synopsis of the opera, a behind-the-scenes look at the production,
and illuminating comments about this production and the philosophy
of The Magic Flute by conductor, Sir Colin Davis.
A charming, imaginative staging of Mozart’s operatic
masterpiece with some fine singing from a sterling cast. Recommended.
Ian Lace
Royal Opera Chorus
and The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House/Sir Colin Davis 
OA
0885 D PAL [Approx: 185 mins]