'The magic Flute' coming to you live from the MET
Saturday, 10 April 2010 , 20.00

Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in the last year of his life – preceding the overwhelming Requiem – the singspiel The Magic Flute has always been considered, since its premiere two hundred years ago, “the heart of German opera”, as stated by musicologist Julius Cornet. It is not very common that a musical edifice, erected with such an abundance of disparate elements, so many diverse styles and different significances, could appear that well-balanced... What do I have in mind ? I am thinking of the opera seria style (the arias of the Queen of the Night) synchronised with the opera buffa style (Papageno and Papagena), of the cantilenas sung by Tamino and Pamina coexisting with virtuosity, of the Mozartian genius – so well harmonized with the psychoanalysis of the fairy tale, praising the long-lasting love, the Good, the Light...

For two centuries the solemn sounds of trumpet starting the overture of “The Magic Flute” have opened wide the gates of Mozart’s opera to all the world, and they will open them again this Saturday at MET with a production directed by Julie Taymor (the gifted director of the big Broadway success “The Lion King” and also of the movie “Titus”) which had its premiere in 2004.

Not only that “The Magic Flute” drew the attention of a multiculturally disciplined director but it also attracted a cast which favours very diverse repertoires: Wagner – for the German bass Hans Peter Konig (Sarastro), Britten – for the American bass-baritone Nathan Gunn (Papageno), Verdi – for the Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova (The Queen of the Night) or pre-classical music – for German soprano Julia Kleiter (Pamina); opera “The Magic Flute” – for all those above and for the American tenor Matthew Polenzani , which is one of the best Mozartian tenors, in my opinion! – is the “lectern” from which both the composer and the artists gathered around give their “sermon” about music.

So do you want to listen to opera? To pure, essential opera? Don’t miss “The Magic Flute” live from MET on Saturday!