If it’s blue men, saffron-robed priests that come from outer space, and a man garbed in purple and teal feathers, it must be costume designer Zandra Rhodes’ production of “The Magic Flute,” currently resurrected at San Diego Opera and first seen here in 2001.
On opening night, May 6, the spectacle attracted families, who brought gussied-up pre-teens. Even though it’s a long sit for youngsters, the production is a splendid introduction to Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, grand opera, and Emanuel Schikaneder’s charming though complicated libretto, parental explication of Isis and Osiris and Freemasonry notwithstanding.
San Diego Symphony was in top form under the baton of German conductor Christof Perick. The most impressive and consistent vocalism of the evening is that of German soprano Ute Selbig as Pamina, the abducted daughter of the Queen of the Night. Selbig, who has sung numerous roles here since her 1998 San Diego Opera debut as Susanna in “The Marriage of Figaro,” has a pitch-perfect, steely voice blessed with a melting, ingratiating pianissimo. These attributes contributed to her marvelous rendition of “Ach, ich fuhls,” a multi-octave lament sung when her beloved Tamino (debuting German tenor Rainer Trost) apparently spurns her.
An attractive hero, Trost sounds like an old Caruso recording. It’s a beautifully placed voice but it operates only within narrow tonal and dynamic parameters. Perfectly cast as Papageno, the hero’s companion and sometime bird catcher, is Paul Armin Edelmann, whose excellent acting elicited much laughter. It’s a great role. Canadian soprano Siphiwe McKenzie, a resident soloist at the Stadttheater Nurnberg, sang the role of Papagena, Papageno’s soul mate. As always, their progeny-planning duet was an audience favorite.
San Diego Opera debutante Cheryl Evans’ Queen of the Night was on the whole excellent, when one considers the demands of her two arias, which in all my years of opera attendance I’ve never heard sung perfectly. It’s a role as treacherous and impossible as that of Aldonza in “Man of La Mancha.”
Aside from the visual treats, including the aforementioned costumes, its splendid scenic design by Alberto Andreis and Michael Hampe (who also directs), and effective lighting by Marie Barrett, this particular production features some fine performances in supporting roles. Notable are the Three Ladies (Lisa Agazzi, Barbara Divis and Priti Gandhi) and the Three Genies (Stacey Frasier, Diana Tash and Sylvia Wen). The chorus, under the direction of Timothy Todd Simmons, was thrilling.
Surely, this is one of the most colorful productions of “The Magic Flute” on the operatic stage today.
“The Magic Flute” continues at 8 p.m. Friday, May 12, 2 p.m. Sunday, May 14 (matinee) and 7 p.m. Wednesday, May 17 at the Civic Theatre, 202 C St. Tickets, which range from $27 to $142, are available at www.sdopera.com or by calling (619) 533-7000.
San Diego Opera announces its 2007 season
Subscriptions are now on sale for San Diego Opera’s 2007 season as follows: Modest Mussorgsky’s “Boris Godunov” (Jan. 27-Feb. 4); Camille Saint-Saens’ “Samson and Delilah” (Feb. 17-25); Giuseppe Verdi’s “Il trovatore” (March 24-April 4); Alban Berg’s “Wozzeck” staged by La Jolla Playhouse artistic director Des McAnuff in his opera debut (April 14-22), and Mozart’s “The Marriage of Figaro” (May 5-16).
