The Magic Flute given Magritte makeover by WNO

By Simon Rees, 15 February 2015

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Reviewed at Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff on 13 February 2015

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Welsh National Opera

Lothar Koenigs, Conductor

Dominic Cooke, Director

Kevin Pollard, Costume Designer

Julian Crouch, Set Designer

Sophie Bevan, Pamina

Samantha Hay, Queen of the Night

Allan Clayton, Tamino

Jacques Imbrailo, Papageno

Scott Wilde, Sarastro

Camilla Roberts, First Lady

Claire Hampton, Papagena

Máire Flavin, Second Lady

Emma Carrington, Third Lady

Philip Lloyd Holtam, First Armoured Man

Howard Kirk, Monostatos

Ashley Holland, The Speaker (Der Sprecher)

Aidan Smith, Second Armoured Man

Caroline Chaney, Revival Director

A magnificent Tosca from Welsh National Opera at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 3rd October

WNO imports Edward Dick’s exceptionally fine production, which benefits from from superb casting and outstanding performances led by Natalya Romaniw.

*****

Bancroft and BBCNOW at the Proms: a deeply satisfying Mahler 3

David Karlin, 11th August

Bancroft and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales provide a Mahler 3 of exceptional clarity and forward momentum, with terrific posthorn solos from Corey Morris and Beth Taylor an outstanding soloist.

****1

A dark and disturbing Rigoletto from WNO at the Mayflower

David Truslove, 14th November

Fine performances in a punchy new production that coats this tragic opera in a large dollop of debauchery.

****1

WNO stages Death in Venice for the first time and it’s a triumph

Mark Valencia, 7th March

Olivia Fuchs solves the problems of Britten's thorny opera in a brilliant new production that hits the heights, featuring Mark Le Brocq as earthbound scholar, Gustav von Aschenbach.

*****

Musical performances keep WNO's new Così afloat

Mark Valencia, 6th March

Max Hoehn takes Così‘s subtitle, La scuola degli amanti (The School for Lovers), and connects it to Monty Python’s sex education sketch in The Meaning of Life. What larks, eh?

***11

Stacey Alleaume leads WNO's emotionally-charged Traviata

David Truslove, 24th November

Leading an international cast in a still-sumptuous revival in Southampton's Mayflower, Stacey Alleaume gives a sovereign performance as the ill-fated courtesan Violetta.

****1

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Simon Rees

Simon Rees writes programme articles and surtitles for most British opera companies, and reviews for Opera, Opera Now, Musical Opinion, Early Music Today and a wide range of other publications. A novelist, poet and librettist, from 1989 to 2012 he was dramaturg at Welsh National Opera. He lives in Cardiff.

Lobsters, bowler hats and The Financial Times: The Magic Flute given Magritte makeover by Welsh National Opera