Truth and Wisdom: a searching Zauberflöte at Garsington

By Mark Pullinger, 01 June 2018

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“What does Sarastro’s realm represent? Who is telling the truth? What is truth?”

Reviewed at Garsington Opera, High Wycombe on 31 May 2018

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Garsington Opera

Christian Curnyn, Conductor

Netia Jones, Director, Set Designer, Costume Designer

Louise Alder, Pamina

Benjamin Hulett, Tamino

Jonathan McGovern, Papageno

James Creswell, Sarastro

Sen Guo, Queen of the Night

Katherine Crompton, First Lady

Marta Fontanals-Simmons, Second Lady

Katie Stevenson, Third Lady

Adrian Thompson, Monostatos

Richard Burkhard, The Speaker (Der Sprecher)

Lara Marie Müller, Papagena

Adam Temple-Smith, First Priest

James Ioelu, Second Priest

Aman de Silva, First Boy

Lucas Rebato, First Boy

Freddie Jemison, Second Boy

Kiran Patel, Second Boy

Oliver German, Third Boy

Dionysios Sevastakis, Third Boy

Stuart Thorn, Actor

Garsington Opera Chorus

The Gascoigne Orchestra

A radically trad Fidelio at Garsington

Peter Quantrill, 27th June

Simple solutions prove the best in Beethoven's "problem" opera as John Cox's staging is revived at Garsington.

****1

Ravishing Rodelinda: Handel al fresco at Garsington Opera

Roy Westbrook, 13th June

Ruth Knight untangles Handel's Rodelinda, directing a new staging at Garsington which features a feast of fine singing.

****1

Three card trick: compelling new Queen of Spades at Garsington

Roy Westbrook, 29th May

Jack Furness directs a terrific new Queen of Spades at Garsington – haunting and harrowing.

****1

Garsington’s L’elisir d’amore: Dr Feelgood wins the day

David Karlin, 28th May

Simon Higlett’s exquisite sets and costumes give a backdrop to Donizetti’s frothiest of rom-coms.

****1

Madcap comedy from Verdi: Un giorno di regno at Garsington

David Karlin, 29th June

Christopher Alden, Chris Hopkins and an excellent cast send us a comic roller coaster ride with Verdi’s ultra-rarely performed second opera.

*****

Garsington Opera's new A Midsummer Night's Dream

Roy Westbrook, 16th June

In the first and last acts, ladies entered with a train still attached to a bolt of cloth, which was then cut to length by an attendant. Was this production brought to the stage in a great hurry, allowing no time for costume fittings?

***11

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Mark Pullinger

Mark has been a Bachtrack editor since 2014. He is also an experienced critic, writing hundreds of reviews for the site, as well as a freelancer writing for other magazines and newspapers. He also writes programme notes and blogs on Substack. Mark has a particular passion for the operas of Verdi as well as Russian and French repertoire. Outside the concert hall and opera house, Mark enjoys cooking and travel and is probably at his happiest let loose in a French patisserie or a Viennese coffee house.