The Magic Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

After the glorious music and arias, it is the mystical solemnity of Mozart’s last opera that has attracted many, perhaps most of its admirers. Calling up his seven years membership of the then radical and idealistic Masonic Order, he tells a story of the search for love and truth, threatened by the powerful force of the wicked. A line has been drawn from The Magic Flute, premiered in May 1791, to the Wagner Ring Cycle. The Viennese pantomime side of the opera, with its charismatic, yet ridiculous, Papageno, the catcher of birds, is seen as a side entertainment as Shakespeare used the comic characters from Dogberry to Bottom to lighten dark scenes of tragedy or sometimes just to entertain.

The present production, unusually, makes the buffoonery far more central stage, emphasising its importance by involving the orchestra who sit raised to the level of the audience. Papageno, like the pantomime comic, comes down to the audience, looking for the prettiest girl he can find. His passionate quest for a wife, both ridiculous and endearing is magnificently sung and acted by British baritone, David Stout. On the evening that I watched, he played the audience so successfully as to sometimes seem to put the hero, Tamino, in the shade.

Yet Tamino is to be the force for good who must pass the three tests set by the great Sarastro before being permitted his own true love. His opening aria, movingly sung by American tenor, Norman Reinhardt is followed by others as he gives his heart to Pamina, based only on a picture. Since bird man and hero are most often on stage together, the contrast is constantly before our eyes.

This is a daring production, at least it seemed so in 2013 when it was first produced by the Eno with Director Simon McBurney. At that time The Observer praised ‘its startling humour and theatrical wizardry.’ Now, with its second revival, it is established as a popular hit. From the moment an unseen hand writes the programme notes across a curtain, we are aware of a modern take. When the Queen of the Night’s three ladies arrive in t-shirts above army trousers, and proceed to playfully strip Tamino to his underwear, we are being asked to watch and judge on modern terms. The Queen of the Night herself arrives in a modern wheelchair, although costumed in traditional back spangles against a background of a starry sky. The voice and personality of American soprano, Rainelle Krause, easily dominates the stage, making vivid her hatred for Sarastro, even before he had kidnapped her daughter, Pamino.

But how to portray the god-like majesty of Sarastro? His appearances, surrounded by his followers, all men, are heralded by trumpets and other military-sounding brass, echoed in Canadian bass, John Relyea’s impressive physicality. He has no robes to help him, not even the smallest throne; he is dressed in a dark board-room suiting, as are his men. It seems that absolute conformity is important and might seem threatening rather than noble without Relyea’s glorious bass. He does justice to the famous aria ’O Osis and Osiris’ which George Bernard Shaw described as ‘the only music yet written that would not sound out of place in the voice of God.’

Meanwhile Papageno, in his slovenly clothes, with a ladder across his back and followed by white paper ‘birds’ fluttered both by chorus and orchestra, shadows Tamino like a sad, mocking or dangerous alter ego, depending on your point of view. Pamino brings a new and delicate character into the story. Here is a woman who loves her mother, but has been rescued from her wickedness, that is kidnapped by Sarastro. She personifies love and virtue as she immediately recognises that her future is with Tamino. In her ignorance and simplicity she must also survive the tests imposed on Tamino. British Soprano, Sarah Tynan easily delivers the message of love and goodness.

The Magic Flute has as much great music as any of Mozart’s more human-based operas, despite his illness and death seven months later. The orchestra, under the baton of German born, Erina Yashima play with a huge sense of enjoyment. Both Tamino’s magic flute and Papageno’s magic bells are played by members of the orchestra on stage. There is no sense of obeisance to the great maestro Mozart but an enthusiasm to put across his music to the best of their ability.

There are still those who will not enjoy this production; my neighbour shut her eyes for some of the two hours forty five minutes. She longed for a traditional presentation of the Magic Flute, where magic is beautiful, where costumes and sets are beautiful, where the eighteenth century is still present on stage. But for me it cast the bright light of modern design on a much-loved friend and only enhanced the wonder of Mozart’s genius.

It is worth nothing that the ENO give free tickets to the under 21s and tickets at a discounted price to 21 to 35 year olds. Tickets for everyone begin at £10.

Photo credit: Manuel Harlan