Presented by Opera Australia
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| Sam Roberts-Smith as Tamino |
Director:
Michael Gow
Conductor:
Paul Fitzsimon
Designer:
Robert Kemp
Lighting
design: Matt Scott
Canberra
Theatre: September 4th, 5th, 6th.
September 4th
performance reviewed by Bill Stephens
On the front
page of the original score of “The Magic Flute”, Mozart noted that the setting
was Egypt. This was all the encouragement director, Michael Gow, needed to come
up with this deliciously silly adaptation, which moves the action into the 1930’s,
when the world was still besotted by the discovery of King Tutankhamun’s tomb,
and all things Egyptian.
Robert
Kemp’s design takes us into a rather substantial-looking Egyptian tomb,
complete with a mummy, secret chambers, mysterious hieroglyphics and a cast who
look as though they have just stepped out of the latest Indiana Jones movie. It
all works a treat.
Some clever
tweaking of the libretto by Gow, has Tamino as a young explorer. Pamina is now a
rather modern young miss whose love for Tamino ultimately manages to re-unite
her parents, the glamorous Queen of the Night and the mysterious, if slightly
dotty professor, Sarastro. They are
aided and abetted through a series of adventures, along the path to true love, by
a bumbling bird-catcher, Papageno and three of the Queen’s hand-maidens.
This rather
wonderful nonsense serves Mozart’s idiosyncratic opera very well indeed and is
particularly beautifully sung as by this ensemble cast of young emerging Opera
Australia soloists, most of who, alternate between the soloist and ensemble
roles. This version is sung in English,
and for the most part, admirably well-articulated by the singers, and accompanied
by an excellent small ensemble orchestra, conducted by Paul Fitzsimon, who
ensures an excellent balance between orchestra and singer, making the lyrics
easy to hear and the action easy to follow.
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| Christopher Hillier (Papageno) - EmmaCastelli (Pamina) Photo Albert Comper |
Jonathan Abernathy cuts an impressively heroic
figure as Tamino, and though his acting was rather tentative, his warm, lyrical
tenor voice was unforced and expressive. As Pamina, the object of Tamino’s affection,
Emma Castelli also impressed with the clarity and beauty of her voice.
Usually seen in more serious roles, Christopher Hillier as Papageno, proved a dab hand at knock-about comedy, nailing all his laughs, and tossing off his tongue- twisting arias with admirable aplomb. He was well teamed with Anna Dowsley, quite irresistible as the mischievous Papagena.
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| Hannah Dahlenburg (Queen of the Night) Photo: Albert Comper |
As dazzling
as she appeared as the epitome of Hollywood glamour, in a glittering silver
dress, white fur and platinum blonde wig, Hannah Dahlenburg also dazzled
vocally with her thrilling performance as the Queen of the Night, nailing every
note of the famous aria with startling accuracy and clarity, whilst striding
the stage with confidence and flair.
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| Steven Gallop (Sarastro) Photo: Albert Comper |
Equally thrilling, but at the other end of the scale, was Steven Gallop’s towering Sarastro. His voice as rich as warm treacle, Gallop commanded the stage on every appearance, bringing a quiet dignity and subtle air of mystery to the unexpected denouement of his re-union with The Queen of the Night...
At this performance, Anna Yun, Stacey Alleaume and Regina Daniel brought admirable vocal clarity and vivaciousness to the three ladies. Benjamin Rasheed was a wonderfully loathsome Monostatos, and Andrew Moran and Nicholas Jones provided enthusiastic support as the guards.
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| Anna Yun -Stacey Alleaume - Regina Daniel Photo Albert Comper |
A notable
feature of this production is the interpolation of a children’s choir, and for
the Canberra performance, members of The Woden Valley Youth Choir contributed
to the fun, singing accurately and beautifully while acting with enthusiasm.
Following on
last year’s Opera Australia touring production of his excellent “Don Giovanni”,
this imaginative, entertaining production,
by Michael Gow, of another Mozart
masterpiece, stamps Gow as one of our most interesting contemporary opera
directors. One looks forward to his next production.
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review.
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| Anna Dowsley (Papagena) - Christopher Hillier (Papageno) Photo: Albert Comper |
This review also appears in Australian Arts Review.