Mozart’s Magic Flute.
I love this masterpiece by Mozart for many reasons: The music ranges from sounds of happiness, fun, and joy, to melodies that are more serious, full of danger, and anxiety.
One very sad episode is when the heroine, Tamina, is so sad when the hero, Tamino, won’t speak with her, having promised total silence as part of his rescue plan.
This production is in English, and it is a visual as well as audio spectacular. The DVD is recorded in full HD, with nice crisp images and Dolby sound.
The opera is conducted by Metropolitan Opera Music Director James Levine, with Ying Huang as Pamina, Matthew Polenzani as Tamino, and René Pape as Sarastro. Two of the outstanding stars of this performance are Erika Miklósa as Queen of the Night, and Nathan Gunn as Papageno, with his comic portrayal of his role.
I still prefer to hear Mozart’s “Magic Flute” in the original German, and since I speak German it is comfortable for me. But many people are turned off by not being able to understand the dialog without reading the sub-titles, so this is a great solution for them.
Here is Nathan Gunn, as he performs in Julie Taymor’s production of “The Magic Flute” at the Metropolitan Opera: (Sorry about the Tylenold ad of 12 seconds)
And here’s another scene for you:
http://youtu.be/hAUgVAB4PuE
Tags: Mozart, Magic Flute, Opera, English, Julie Taymor, James Levine