This is the Magic Flute that expected the audience to know the conspiracy theories that once surrounded Mozart’s celebrated opera. So the fundamentalist touches on this version of the opera would cater to the secular crowd. But before you pre-judge this version as anti-religion, remember that Sarastro led a group of people that worshiped Isis (not THAT Isis) and Osiris. They managed to retain the part where Sarastro tried to save Pamina from her mother’s destructive influence.
But what made the Queen of the Night dressed as a school principal convince Tamino so easily about going against Sarastro? During the overture, Tamino was shown as forced to have an exam. Looks like the retake exam that most students today dreaded. It whacked his brain hard to start seeing the writings on the blackboard form itself into a giant serpent. It could easily be dismissed as a hallucination if not for the 3 Catholic nuns to interfere just in time for Tamino to faint and lose consciousness. The teacher that forced Tamino into the difficult written exam turned out to be Sarastro.
This version of the Magic Flute also explored the conflicts of emotion and rationality. Sarastro thought that he was just doing his job as an academic. That is to educate. The Queen of the Night believed that Sarastro was being too harsh on the students. So much that even Pamina got absorbed into his circle of influence. So when the Queen talked to Tamino about saving Pamina from the circle of influence of Sarastro, he took it hook, line and sinker. Of course, the reward being Pamina herself served as an effective motivation for Tamino.
Emotion and rationality clashed again once Tamino and Pamina before Tamino was sent to his third trial. (More about the first 2 trials later.) Only for Sarastro’s men to keep them apart. Both were blindfolded as part of the initiation procedure to be enlightened. When they finally found time by themselves, they removed their blindfolds and hugged each other. But in less than 5 seconds, Tamino remembered his vow of silence and pushed Pamina away. Pamina then thought she did something wrong. She ended up thinking that Tamino left her to join the enlightened men. Without her. You can easily surmise that as Tamino maturing while Pamina almost stuck in her emotional frailty.
This was the emotional frailty that was seen in the Queen of the Night. It must have been the most neurotic version of the Queen of the Night ever presented in opera that I have seen. Depressed, she has become dependent on medication to function. And she didn’t care if Tamino saw her pop a pill. Tamino must have been too engrossed in thoughts of marrying young Pamina. It suited the coloratura runs in the first aria of the Queen of the Night. They ended up sounding like musical sobs.
The same coloratura runs fitted the second aria. But this time, they’re halfway between sobs and cackles. It made the Queen of the Night looking bipolar - depressed in the first aria and manically happy in the second aria. The facial expressions suited the lines sung in the aria as well. Soprano Olga Pudova did an excellent job in my opinion.
This bipolar behavior was somewhat evident in Pamina too. You then end up understanding Sarastro’s move to keep Pamina away from her mother. The Queen was cutting Pamina’s hair while giving her instructions to kill Sarastro using the same dagger that the Queen handed to her daughter. Mild emotional blackmail that served as a scary prelude to what could be worse things to happen. Not that they will happen here. But you know she’d also talk to Monostatos anyway.
Pamina almost killed Sarastro. Almost. Except that Sarastro was quick enough to stop Pamina. So be it if he ended up holding the dagger’s blade itself. Despite getting wounded, he maintained that vengeance has no place in his temple. Or classroom as the set will demonstrate. No retaliation from Sarastro and his ilk since they are aware how both mother and daughter are emotionally disturbed. It's called "taking the high road".
With this kind of approach, Papageno ended up looking more like the humor that got included simply because The Magic Flute can’t be too dark. In the Teatro La Fenice version, Papageno is not a bird but a janitor. He still catches birds. But he still likes to flirt. Too bad he doesn’t stand a chance on Pamina. Besides, he’s not funny because he’s clowning around. He’s funny because he reminded you of your crackpot friend with anger management issues. The only times where he is not temperamental is when he’s singing the bird-catcher arias and during the duet with Papagena.
The main items that remind me that The Magic Flute is still a fairy tale opera are the titular flute and the music box. It may have conflicted with the psychological approach regarding rationality and emotion. But it definitely pushed the idea that music affects the way life goes. Don’t worry. They did not imply endorphins or some other brain chemical. They must have left it to the audience to check any white paper on the positive effects of music to depressed people.
In terms of singing, Antonio Poli and Alex Esposito attacked their roles with intensity. Their facial expressions matched the anger that they infused into their music. In fact, most characters in this 2015 edition of The Magic Flute were angry. Sarastro was the least angry though, as expected of his character. Goran Juric looked scary in those moments. But they were very minimal. If there were any of them that aren't angry, they're the 3 young cherubs. Whatever they lacked in anger, they made up in naughtiness. Even if they were poking fun of Tamino, Poli managed to keep singing in a way that sliced through the music without sounding bad. The effect of intensity with Esposito was that his anger matched the voice.
Ekaterina Sadovnikova sounded great. Acting-wise, her facial expressions matched the melancholy that Pamina felt at the thought of losing Tamino. Also, her eyes summed up best how Pamina feared her mother most. Sadovnikova is one of the sopranos worth looking forward to for having the voice and acting talent needed now that operas like The Magic Flute are streamed online. Then again, speaking of facial expressions, Olga Pudova set a standard for acting the neurotic version of the Queen of the Night. From fitting the coloratura runs to her wails to the way her face changed depending on the situation. Especially to that "Huh?" ending that her character, the Queen of the Night, wasn't expecting. I won't spoil that for you anymore.
The full version of the opera is still running at the Culturebox YouTube channel for your pleasure. Sung in German, subtitles are only available in French and Italian. If you liked the visual comments made in this article, please send in your tips by clicking the button below. Hoping to see you again on the next article. Thanks for reading.
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