On Feb. 1, 2019, I was delighted to have been able to attend a fantastic performance of The Magic Flute, an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart that we explored in class. Since I had taken piano lessons as a child, I had a small music background and thus had been familiar with more well-known excerpts from the opera, such as the overture, 2ndaria of the Queen of the Night, and the duet between Papageno and Papagena. However, I had only ever listened to these pieces on YouTube, and thus was extremely excited to be able to witness, for the first time, the opera being performed live in its entirety!
The opera began with the iconic overture, written in sonata form. With its grand, fanfare-like entrance of 3 chords, followed by both fast-paced and slower, lyrical themes, the piece seemed to foreshadow what was to come. The first theme presented in the exposition is quick and on-edge, as if someone/thing is being chased. Played rapidly by the strings, the theme seemed to hint we would be embarking on a journey filled with action, adventure, and excitement. The second theme of the exposition, a more lyrical melody played the woodwinds, seemed to represent the fantastical realm the characters of the opera exist in, filled with magical sorcerers, evil queens, and enchanted instruments.
At the end of the overture, Prince Tamino enters while being chased by a serpent. After he faints in fear, three ladies appear who manage to take down the beast and rescue Tamino. Together, they comprised an opera ensemble as they sang about who should guard Tamino whilst the other two depart. I must say, the UBC opera students playing the three ladies did an excellent job adding humour into their roles, putting a more sassy and flirtatious spin on these iconic characters. This almost humanized the three ladies, making them more relatable and playing into the more opera buffa aspect of the Magic Flute.
While I do not have space to discuss the entire opera, there are a few other moments I would like to point out. First, I must commend whoever played the Queen of the Night for doing an outstanding job. It is no secret that both of her arias, with the stratospheric coloratura and impossibly high staccatos, are some of the most technically challenging pieces ever written for sopranos. This actress not only hit every single note clearly but sang them with the sustained dramatic power expected of the Queen of the Night. Incredibly, she even held the high F at the end of the coloratura run of “O zittre nicht mein lieber Sohn.” Her superb performance was evidenced by the loud cheers and standing ovations she received at the final bow.
Another highlight of the show was when Pamina and Papageno were cornered by Monostatos and his minions. When all seemed lost, Papageno remembers the magic bells gifted to him by the Three Ladies. As he begins to play, the music is so delightfully captivating that it manages to put the would-be captors into a trance! They start singing and dancing along to the bells, along Pamina and Papageno to escape. This was definitely a moment of levity that had the audience in giggles. I can only imagine the pressure on the glockenspiel player in the orchestra responsible for generating the music of the bells!
Overall, I had a wonderful time attending UBC Opera’s The Magic Flute. For such a dynamic opera that (as we discussed in class) includes elements on opera seria, opera buffa, singspiel, and sacred music, the UBC Opera students did a phenomenal job! This was a much-needed break leading up to midterms at the time. (1/5)