Die Zauberflöte
UBC Opera Ensemble 2019
I’ve always enjoyed the UBC opera performances, such as La Cenerentola from last year, so I was excited to see The Magic Flute on this year’s programme. Since childhood, my mother always played opera recordings during our car rides, and I remember not knowing the story to The Magic Flute but excitedly waiting for the Queen’s aria. And when I was older, my mother would take me to opera performances, which included many renditions of The Magic Flute. It was astounding what the sopranos were able to do with their voices, and till now The Magic Flute remains one my favourite operas.
Strangely, until watching the performance at the Chan Centre, I never cared to figure out what the plot of The Magic Flute. I simply liked it for the music and the way it made me feel since I was a child, but this time I made sure to pay attention to the plot and read along with the translated lyrics. Below I will go through a few of the pieces that made a notable impression upon me.
Before knowing what he was singing about, I always though Papageno’s aria was a cheerful little tune that would be something along the lines of a folksong. Perhaps singing about his life or his home? The melody was repetitive and light, which certainly reminds me of how a bird might sing. However, understanding the lyrics really changed the way I perceived the music from how I did as a child. I used to think of the music as fun but now it’s more funny than fun knowing that Papageno is mourning over his lack of female company.
When I was a child, more than the Queen of the Night, I always found Sarastro more of a terrifying character just from his voice. Even till now, I still do not like Sarastro’s pieces because of how eerie and slow they are. The student who played Sarastro at this performance had such a deep, strong voice that I was taken aback when he first started singing. However, now with a bit more understanding of music, I noticed was how hymn-like the parts were that were sung by Sarastro and his fellow priests were. At some point it seemed almost like chants, and I figured that it was these parts that I really did not enjoy as I did not like how austere and serious it was.
Then lastly, my favourite part of the entire opera, the Queen’s aria. As a child, I always perceived this piece as something triumphant with how vibrant and strong the music and the singer were. However, upon reading the lyrics, I realized that it was actually about the queen’s anger and desire for vengeance. Nevertheless, something about the way the range of the soprano’s voice changes just makes me both nervous and excited, and I am always sitting at the edge of my seat throughout the performance. And after discussing more of the piece in class, I could see how the way the music follows the queen’s voice in the aria serves to accentuate her power as the music must comply with her.