A family-friendly spectacle
The Magic Flute
(out of 4) By Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Emanuel Schikaneder. Revival directed by Ashlie Corcoran. Conducted by Bernard Labadie. A Canadian Opera Company production at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts, 145 Queen St. W., until Feb. 24. coc.ca or 416-363-8231 or 1-800-250-4653
Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute is about the trials a youth must overcome to find true love.
It’s known for beautiful music and is filled with deep symbolism related to Freemasonry, an order to which the composer (and the opera’s librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder) belonged.
In the Canadian Opera Company’s production, a remount of its 2011presentation, the opera becomes a family-friendly spectacle that showcases the talents of past and current COC Ensemble Studio members and marks the debuts of a number of talented international figures.
Presented here as a play-within-aplay, Flute is placed in the time the work was originally presented, in 1791, at the party of a young girl on her name-day celebrations.
One by one, the guests become part of the action, until the lines between reality and fantasy dissolve, and the labyrinthine garden itself becomes the place where Tamino (Andrew Haji) must endure various tests before he can find love with Pamina (Elena Tsallagova). Revival director Ashlie Corcoran (with original director Diane Paulus) uses an eye-catching combination of whimsical designs (thanks to set and costume designer Myung Hee Cho) and clever blocking to create a frothy, fun atmosphere that makes the most of the piece’s fantastical elements.
Papier-mache creatures chase the erstwhile hero and his friend, the faithful bird-catching Papageno (Joshua Hopkins), as they attempt to negotiate the intense hatred between Pamina’s parents, the Queen of the Night (Ambur Braid) and Sarastro (Goran Juric).
Tenor Haji got off to a tense start on opening night, with problems in projection and tone, but eventually came around to produce a lovely, silvery-hued sound that was complemented by Hopkins’ velvety if hugely flexible baritone.
Soprano Braid’s Queen of the Night, comically sporting a leather skirt and high headdress, was equal parts camp and heart, her clear soprano used to delightful effect in the second act.
Making their COC debuts, Russian soprano Tsallagova’s Pamina was compellingly girlish and steely at once, showing a clear, sweet tone and an agile technique, while Croatian bass Juric gave a sublime performance that, while authoritative, was also deeply lyrical. His breathtaking performance of the opera’s Act II aria “In diesen heil’gen Hallen” was a highlight.
Celebrated conductor Bernard Labadie also makes his COC debut, leading the orchestra in a buoyant if equally thoughtful reading of Mozart’s poignant score.