Mozart: Die Zauberflöte

The present performance of “The Magic Flute” comes from the Glyndebourne Festival in a witty, fantastic and very lively production by the Canadian director duo Barbe & Doucet. The two of them bring Mozart’s masterpiece with colourful pictures, timeless costumes and an excellent personal direction to the stage of the Festspielhaus. “Visually, it’s a theatrical feast of eccentricity … witty, irrepressible, unforgettable …” (The Guardian) One of Mozart’s most enchanting works, Die Zauberflöte is a fairytale that uses familiar archetypes to ask provocative and difficult questions about religion, the nature of power, the bonds of family, and of course love. Premiered just months before Mozart’s death, Die Zauberflöte in many ways represents a new departure for the composer. Catching the spirit of revolution in the air, Mozart turned his attention for the first time from court opera to popular opera, writing this singspiel (‘sung-play’) for a new and much broader audience. Celebrated Canadian directing duo Barbe & Doucet make both their British and Glyndebourne debuts here with their new Die Zauberflöte, a veritable “theatrical feast of eccentricity.” (The Guardian). Ryan Wiggleworth conducts an outstanding cast including Russian soprano Sofia Fomina as Pamina, David Portillo as her beloved Tamino, Brindley Sherratt as Sarastro, and the ebullient Björn Bürger as Papageno.