Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.Prince Tamino and Papageno are sent by the Queen of Night to save her daughter Pamina from the clutches of the evil lord Sarastro.
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Jacob Wade
- Third Spirit
- (as Jacob A. Wade)
- Director
- Writers
- J.D. McClatchy
- Emanuel Schikaneder(uncredited)
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- ConnectionsRemade as The Metropolitan Opera HD Live: Mozart: Die Zauberflöte (2017)
Featured review
Definitely worth watching
I have always loved Mozart and Die Zauberflote(The Magic Flute), and while not my first choice I did enjoy this production. For me the outstanding productions are the 2003 Covent Garden production, the Bergman film, the 1982 Salzberg performance and the 1978 Glyndebourne production. Very good are the 1983 Munich performance and the 1991 Met production. This one is my least favourite perhaps but I still recommend it.
The production look absolutely spectacular visually. The sets have so much colour to them, and the costumes likewise, Queen of the Night's is a knockout and Papagaeno's jumpsuit perfectly shows off his athleticism. Of the staging, the most effective were the wild animals, they're fabulous to look at and move effortlessly on stage. The giant prehistoric bird looks imposing as well. High Definition is fantastic as always, but the sound in places could've done with more crispness.
Taymor also addresses the problems about the staging, especially with the characterisation of Monostatos and making Sarastro an employer of equal opportunities. Die Zauberflote is by far the most difficult of Mozart's operas to stage, and Taymor did very well with the ideas put forward and grabbed my interest.
Musically, it is better than you would expect. The music, even with the cuts(I was disappointed at the lack of any Papagaeno-Pamina duet or the scene between the Three Boys and Pamina) is of course magnificent, the orchestra play with a beautiful sound, the chorus are more balanced than they were in the 1991 production and James Levine does show some understanding of Mozart's style, the reading is brisk and not as broad or as plodding as it could have been.
English translation was better than anticipated, I personally do find the opera better in German, but apart from the odd part that sounds over-simplified such as Papagaeno's very first line of his introductory aria the translation is quite good. The performances are generally of a high standard. The standouts were Rene Pape, whose Sarastro is noble and firm and he has one of the more beautiful voices of anybody singing this role in my opinion and especially Nathan Gunn who puts so much energy and charm into Papagaeno.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Erika Miklosa as Queen of the Night. She isn't the most exciting singer I've heard in the role, but she does have a good stage presence exuding menace and threat and she is a miracle vocally coping very well with the difficult colouratura. Jennifer Aylmer is a witty Papagaena and Greg Federly is a fun Monostatos, what Tamor did with the character was refreshing in a sense and the first meeting between him and Papagaeno is a comic highlight. The Three Ladies are eluded by their masks, which I agree are rather Disney-esque, but they are well blended and commanding regardless.
Not quite as impressive is Ying Huang in the role of Pamina. She is suitably moving and delectable, is alluring on stage and sings beautifully. I do think however the role could've done with more radiance and innocence, though to be fair some of her best music is cut so those qualities without them wasn't perhaps so feasible. Matthew Polanzani has a good voice as Tamino, but like others in the role he is stiff, for me the best Tamino ever is Fritz Wunderlich. The Three Boys are sadly no better, they are sweet enough but their thin and out of tune singing with laboured high notes was painful on the ear.
Overall, a good production, but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
The production look absolutely spectacular visually. The sets have so much colour to them, and the costumes likewise, Queen of the Night's is a knockout and Papagaeno's jumpsuit perfectly shows off his athleticism. Of the staging, the most effective were the wild animals, they're fabulous to look at and move effortlessly on stage. The giant prehistoric bird looks imposing as well. High Definition is fantastic as always, but the sound in places could've done with more crispness.
Taymor also addresses the problems about the staging, especially with the characterisation of Monostatos and making Sarastro an employer of equal opportunities. Die Zauberflote is by far the most difficult of Mozart's operas to stage, and Taymor did very well with the ideas put forward and grabbed my interest.
Musically, it is better than you would expect. The music, even with the cuts(I was disappointed at the lack of any Papagaeno-Pamina duet or the scene between the Three Boys and Pamina) is of course magnificent, the orchestra play with a beautiful sound, the chorus are more balanced than they were in the 1991 production and James Levine does show some understanding of Mozart's style, the reading is brisk and not as broad or as plodding as it could have been.
English translation was better than anticipated, I personally do find the opera better in German, but apart from the odd part that sounds over-simplified such as Papagaeno's very first line of his introductory aria the translation is quite good. The performances are generally of a high standard. The standouts were Rene Pape, whose Sarastro is noble and firm and he has one of the more beautiful voices of anybody singing this role in my opinion and especially Nathan Gunn who puts so much energy and charm into Papagaeno.
I also thoroughly enjoyed Erika Miklosa as Queen of the Night. She isn't the most exciting singer I've heard in the role, but she does have a good stage presence exuding menace and threat and she is a miracle vocally coping very well with the difficult colouratura. Jennifer Aylmer is a witty Papagaena and Greg Federly is a fun Monostatos, what Tamor did with the character was refreshing in a sense and the first meeting between him and Papagaeno is a comic highlight. The Three Ladies are eluded by their masks, which I agree are rather Disney-esque, but they are well blended and commanding regardless.
Not quite as impressive is Ying Huang in the role of Pamina. She is suitably moving and delectable, is alluring on stage and sings beautifully. I do think however the role could've done with more radiance and innocence, though to be fair some of her best music is cut so those qualities without them wasn't perhaps so feasible. Matthew Polanzani has a good voice as Tamino, but like others in the role he is stiff, for me the best Tamino ever is Fritz Wunderlich. The Three Boys are sadly no better, they are sweet enough but their thin and out of tune singing with laboured high notes was painful on the ear.
Overall, a good production, but not great. 7/10 Bethany Cox
helpful•31
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 2, 2012
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official sites
- Language
- Also known as
- The Magic Flute
- Filming locations
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 55 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 16:9 HD
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What is the broadcast (satellite or terrestrial TV) release date of Mozart's The Magic Flute (2006) in Australia?
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