The Magic Flute (English National Opera)

Verdict: The sublime and ridiculous co-exist

AFTER its appalling Merry Widow, the ENO needs to restore its credibility and this revival of Mozart’s last opera, a mixture of pantomime and divine musical inspiration, goes most of the way to doing it.

Disturbingly, Simon McBurney’s production has picked up some of the ENO’s customary vulgarity since it was last seen in 2016; but the singing is unfailingly good and the crucial role of the birdcatcher Papageno is well taken by Dutch baritone Thomas Oliemans.

The lovers Pamina and Tamino, who have to undergo trials by fire, water and so on in a Masonic ritual, are beautifully sung by Lucy Crowe and Rupert Charlesworth — she is returning to her part, he is taking his first leading ENO role.

Brindley Sherratt as the benevolent Sarastro — whose arias George Bernard Shaw described as the only music fit to be put into the mouth of God — is both sonorous vocally and impressive dramatically. Jonathan Lemalu is a fine exponent of the Speaker.

At the other end of the musical scale, Julia Bauer manages the Queen of the Night’s arias with altitudinous accuracy.

As it is non-PC nowadays to have a black Monostatos, Sarastro’s rascally henchman, we get Daniel Norman, who is certainly malevolent.

The smaller roles are done with flair, as they usually are at ENO.

Ben Gernon’s conducting of the orchestra and principals is not just stylish, but full of life, which he also imparts to the chorus. It is a difficult opera in which to get the contrasts in tone right, but he achieves it.

There are still things in the production I do not understand. Why are the Three Boys so elderly? Why does Papageno need to carry a household stepladder around? But when there are so many laughs and tears, what more do you want?