Vaudeville and shadow puppets: Die Zauberflöte

By Simon Rees, 23 June 2014

Loading, please wait...

See full listing

Reviewed at Wiener Staatsoper, Vienna on 9 June 2014

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

Vienna State Opera

Constantin Trinks, Conductor

Moshe Leiser, Director

Agostino Cavalca, Costume Designer

Christian Fenouillat, Set Designer

Valentina Naforniţă, Pamina

Iride Martínez, Queen of the Night

Benjamin Bruns, Tamino

Nikolay Borchev, Papageno

Brindley Sherratt, Sarastro

Ildikó Raimondi, First Lady

Bryony Dwyer, Papagena

Christina Carvin, Second Lady

Zoryana Kushpler, Third Lady

Thomas Ebenstein, Monostatos

Orchestra of the Vienna State Opera

Concert Association Vienna State Opera Chorus

At half mast: Simon Boccanegra revived in Vienna

Orsolya Gyárfás, 19th April

Marco Armiliato's conducting thrills and Federica Lombardi's radiant Amelia stands out in the Wiener Staatsoper's latest revival of Simon Boccanegra.

***11

Anna Netrebko shines in Vienna’s timeless Tosca

Laura Servidei, 18th April

In a world where opera productions often stray into the abstract, the Wiener Staatsoper’s Tosca offers a refreshing return to tradition – and Anna Netrebko delivers a splendid performance.

****1

Tragedy in the mirror: Minghella’s Madama Butterfly in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 14th March

Ermonela Jaho returns to one of her signature roles as Cio-Cio-San, delivering a searing and deeply nuanced portrayal.

****1

Too much and too little: Jan Lauwers’ restless Clemenza in Vienna

Chanda VanderHart, 12th March

The creative team behind the new Staatsoper Clemenza is unwilling to trust that Mozart’s opera is interesting enough to stand on its own.

***11

An Idomeneo shattered to pieces at the Wiener Staatsoper

Orsolya Gyárfás, 23rd January

A committed cast struggles to lend a spark of life to Kasper Holten's static staging of Mozart's first mature opera.

**111

A holiday Bohème: Puccini, Zeffirelli and tradition in Vienna

Laura Servidei, 21st December

Giacomo Sagripanti conducts a luxuriant reading with a cast anchored by Juan Diego Flórez and Nicole Car, in Zeffirelli’s familiar, generous, unabashedly emotional production.

***11

More reviews...

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.

Vaudeville and shadow puppets: Die Zauberflöte in Vienna