Met’s “Magic Flute” brings a double helping of Mozartian holiday delight
The days are shortening, the air is chilly, and festive lights are going up. That means it’s time for the Metropolitan Opera’s holiday performance of The Magic Flute. This is Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, compressed into one continuous act of under two hours, translated into English by J.D. McClatchy, and using Julie Taymor’s previous production for the full opera.
The Met has scheduled over a dozen performances of this into the first week of the new year, several on consecutive nights, and so is using two casts and two conductors,
Thursday’s opening night lineup, with tenor David Portillo as Tamino, baritone Will Liverman as Papageno, soprano Hera Hyesang Park as Pamina, soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and bass Soloman Howard as Sarastro—with Nimrod David Pfeffer conducting—set a very high bar for the singing in this run.
The cuts increase the prominence and importance of Papageno, and by design the holiday production is geared toward families. There were children and teenagers throughout the house, most of whom seemed captivated by Liverman, as were many adults.
One is used to hearing the fullness and invigorating virile edge of his voice in intensely dramatic roles, so it was first surprising and then delightful to see and hear him having so much fun in Papageno’s concise vocal range, and relishing the comedic action of the part. He was tremendously appealing, with a feeling of quickness all night.
Tamino is the straight man against this, with the danger of seeming dull and square. But Portillo’s vibrant tenor, with the fine Mozartian balance of youth and the confidence of maturity, was excellent, with a steady and compelling nobility that nicely balanced Liverman.
Park was superb. She has an inherently shining, beautiful sound, and her phrasing was so elegant it often sounded like she was singing much slower than the tempo. But she was really singing with such impeccable, smart musicality that the clarity of what she was expressing seemed to slow everything down. Her aria, “I feel it’s gone” (originally “Ach, ich fühl’s, es ist verschwunden”) was the expressive high point of the evening, gorgeous, simple, and full of feeling.
The Magic Flute. Photo: Richard Termine / Met Opera
Lewek continued her reign as the finest Queen of the Night on the opera scene. Her singing was spectacular, and what made it so was less her technique—while she needed a slight moment of preparation for the high F in “Oh, don’t tremble,” her arpeggios in “Hell’s vengeance” were stunning, precise and with a remarkable size and shape to the sound of the notes—than the vehemence she brings to the character. More than a bravura display, she was a full character, proud, cajoling, and angry, saying something with each note.
Howard is also an ideal Sarastro. His height is dramatically regal, and his voice so capacious and commanding that every time he sang, he seemed to take the whole stage under his watch.
The extended cast was nothing but fine. Tenor Rodell Rosel, singing Monastatos, had the same sense of fun as Liverman. The Three Ladies (soprano Caitlin Lynch and mezzo-sopranos Maire Therese Carmack and Eve Gigliotti) sang with a lovely blend of sound and harmonies.
In the pit, Pfeffer, projected notable enthusiasm. There was plenty of sharpness in the orchestra’s playing, but also a few sloppy moments, mainly keeping tempos together with the principals and the chorus.
But these were fleeting and the point is The Magic Flute should be charming and fun. And that this was. Taymor’s giant dancing bear puppets and balletic flamingos, Monastatos’ kabuki bat costume, Papageno’s ballets inspiring what can only be described as a campy sailors’ modern dance routine, remain refreshing and gratifying, and each brought out a spontaneous, sincere audible reaction from the crowd. Fully satisfying musically and on stage, this remains one of the best holiday treats in New York City.
The Magic Flute continues through January 4, 2025. The alternate cast is Duke Kim as Tamino, Sean Michael Plumb as Papageno, Emily Pogorelc as Pamina, and Aigul Khismatullina as the Queen of the Knight, with J. David Jackson conducting. metopera.org
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