The Magic Flute: quick links
State Opera South Australia’s The Magic Flute marks a notable event in international collaborations for being the first co-production between an Australian opera company with Chinese partners in the form of Opera Hong Kong, Beijing Music Festival and the China National Opera House.
With a Chinese director, an Australian designer, and a Chinese-Australian conductor, both interest and expectations were high.
Conductor Dane Lam got things off to a confident start with a brisk account of the overture, allowing the 50-ish-strong Adelaide Symphony Orchestra to let fly, but keeping the band on a short lead. This would prove to be important in a production which included both strong and less forthright voices, for in the arias, by and large, a more reserved approach was needed.
First we have the sensitive Tamino, a very attractive performance by Nicholas Jones, startled to find himself apparently caught between the forces of good and evil. The entrance of the lovable bird man Papageno invariably gets a chuckle, and David Greco’s flexible and appealing voice, and his colourful costume, make him an instant audience favourite.
The Magic Flute: spectacular arias
If anyone knows a note of music from The Magic Flute it’s the Queen of the Night’s two spectacular coloratura arias, and especially the rage aria Der Hölle Rache in Act 2, and in this, as well as her Act 1 appearance, Danielle Bavli was note-perfect up to and including the terrifying high Fs.
Her voice is not the biggest, but it is true.
It’s getting well on in Act 1 before we really meet Pamina, the Queen of the Night’s daughter, and Sarastro, the priest-magician who has kidnapped her, ostensibly to protect her from her wicked mother. But it is worth the wait, with Stacey Alleaume and Teddy Tahu Rhodes between them giving the finest performances of the night.
Both have big, heroic voices, filling the house. Among the plethora of minor roles, it’s another long wait for Papagena, poor Papageno’s bride-to- be, but again well worth it with local favourite Jessica Dean, one of our very best singers, singing up a storm.
The Magic Flute: children
Special mention must be made of the three children, who act as spirit guides to Tamino and Papageno. A clever bit of direction presents the three as infants through to old age in their several appearances. The first scene, with trio Phillip Cheng, Ethan Zhang and Celine Yuan in a triplet baby stroller, is priceless, so too seeing the children mimicking the aches and pains of old age.
Explosively cute, and lovely voices to boot. With besotted lovers, imprisoned maidens, a witch-queen and a demon-king at odds with one another, secret societies and, of course, Mozart’s sublime music, The Magic Flute lends itself to fantastical interpretations. Here the production is resoundingly successful.
Anime-inspired video sets scenes and underpins transitions, while the colourful costumes and a deceptively versatile set – a steep rake and a revolve on a gimbal – makes for plenty of energy without seeming overly busy.
The Magic Flute: brava to Stacey Alleaume
Brava to Stacey Alleaume stepping in at a day’s notice for an indisposed Sofia Tronosco, felled by the ravages of winter. She was magnificent, one of the strongest voices in the cast, throwing herself fearlessly into an often physical production.
She has sung Pamina with distinction before, but never in German, so congratulations are doubly due. She can’t continue in the role, so hers was a one-off, but very welcome. Another late scratching was among the Three Children, with treble Phillip Cheng walking the role, sung side-stage by Brooke Window.
As is ever the case with the regional companies, pennies are tight, so well done to SOSA for this enterprising partnership, which ought to be of interest to other companies around the traps.
