Customer Reviews

Die Zauberflote [VHS]

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I bought this video recording in VHS format of Mozart's famous singspiel, "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute) in 1990, and it's the best all around production of Mozart's great opera I've seen. I believe this is superior to the Levine/Met production from 1991, also on DG DVD. This is a September 1983 live performance from the Bavarian State Opera, and features Francisco Araiza as Tamino; Lucia Popp as Pamina; Wolfgang Brendel as Papageno; Kurt Moll as Sarastro, among others. I would call this a traditional production, rather like Ancient Egypt seen through the eyes of German intellectuals, unlike the Levine/Met production, which had more contemporary sets and yet had a more "Ancient" look to it than this Munich production.

Conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch (b. 1923) sets sensible tempos in the style of Karl Bohm, although many of Sawallisch's tempos are faster than Bohm's studio recording from 1964 (DG CD). He is more moderate and middle of the road than Levine, and appeals more to my way of thinking Mozart's great opera should sound. While there are a few imperfections in singing and ensemble, the overall musical thrust is so good, these are quickly cast aside.

For more details, see my remarks about the VHS release of this title. I am glad and thankful DG is releasing this on DVD.

While many traditional productions of opera these days look sleepy, either on a stage loaded with so much trappings and clutter, and/or looking as though a group of singers got dropped onto stage and left to their own devices, this is truly a most traditional production, in both all its consummate detail and inspired individual touches.

A certain degree of realism and social commentary inform the August Everding production here. Sarastro's temple is set in solemnly austere design of dark brick and wood, which opens out into a silhouetted relief of what could pass for a Greek temple and also imaginatively to a decrepit looking courtyard, where Tamino faces his trial of silence, which gives us a hint that Sarastro's temple may have seen better days. A certain rigid manner about two of Sarastro's priests also tell us as much (and who are denied their brief Act Two duet).

For the incidents of extra magic that occurs in this production, and that Mozart would have been happy with, in contradicting the cold reason of the Enlightenment, the scenes that take place with the courtyard set just mentioned practically dare you to blink, not to miss anything. I do not want to give away any secrets here, except that Wolfgang Brendel, as Papageno, in some of the action here, and everywhere, makes up for a few dry spots vocally, by perfectly natural acting of his part. Costumed as a simple warning man or peasant, he works very well, in interaction with everyone else, in capturing the full humor of his part.

Brighter evocations of nature make up very pleasant backdrop for a couple of scenes during the finale to Act Two, for Pamina and the 3 Boys and for Papageno alone, right before meeting up with Papagena in front of a curtain backdrop of a giant oak. The temple, silhouetted before, opens out, suffused with cool light, as Kurt Moll as Sarastro blesses his two new initiates, Pamina and Tamino.

Lucia Popp, as Pamina, is practically enough reason for giving this Zauberflote the highest possible acclaim and for why this belongs in every serious opera dvd collection. Take for instance her opening of "Ach ich fuhls" in Act Two, which immediately touches the chord or setting for what the entire rest of the aria will be like, which she continues to sing most expressively. Her scene, with the three boys is at least equally sublime in making her way from total despondency, despair to joyful anticipation of meeting Tamino again, consummated by her utterly exquisite "Tamino mein", upon finally greeting him, and radiant demeanor in helping the Tamino of Francisco Ariaza bring the trials of fire and water and their vocal parts to a close.

Her acting matches that of Wolfgang Brendel in their Act One scenes together, in complete believability. Lucia Popp, as many fans already know, was some sixteen years before, a Queen of the Night of classic status on the Otto Klemperer Zauberflote (with all spoken dialogue taken out) for EMI.

Eschewing the least bit of any exaggeration or hindrance to full expressivity of her lines, Edita Gruberova ideally, coolly yet imperiously picks up the mantle Popp had held for the part of the Queen of the Night before, in her musical and dramatic authority in it. Her sidekick trio of three ladies (Pamela Coburn, Cornelia Wulkopf, Daphne Evangelatos) are as fine vocally and musically, among video choices, as you will find. While perfectly seductive enough and costumed to be very attractive to the eye, this trio is perhaps a little less menacing than one other out there.

Francisco Araiza, hardly more than a dutiful presence on stage dramatically, and with slight tendency to pout a few more dramatic lines in his part, warmly and elegantly spins out so many lyric lines here, with so much more colorful command of nuance here than found with Peter Schreier on Sawallisch's cd set or his own much drier, less interesting contribution for James Levine on the Met dvd.

Kurt Moll is the warm voiced Sarastro, his voice rolling effortlessly through "In diesen heil'gen Hallen" and with expressive point both here and the other passages for him. A certain fire about his look or gaze informs even those moments of warmth to convey to Pamina his genuine forbearance in looking out after her. He reappears in the Met Zauberflote dvd eight or nine years later, with undiminished feeling of authority in the part, except for some obvious graying of his vocal prowess and a certain detached manner about him, that had me thinking that all this business with initiates and trials must be incredibly passe or perhaps long by now routinely and terribly de riguer for Sarastro.

Jan-Hendrik Rootering is the ample voiced and authorative Speaker of the Temple, Norbert Orth the entirely black faced and mostly sweet voiced Monostatos, if a little less menacing than one or two others on video by now. Choral forces, including for a properly majestic rendition of and processional up high and stage rear for "O Isis und Osiris", and supporting cast are all in top form.

I am not quite entirely sure, even after reading the annotation in the well informative liner notes (in nice booklet form) of the changing places between Sarastro's aria "O Isis und Osiris" and the brief trio with Pamina, and Tamino joining him,that doing this is right, but at least it is well accounted for in the liner notes and may persuade some viewers.

Wolfgang Sawallisch leads a pleasing middle-of-the-road interpreation of this score, levelheaded in almost all choices of tempo and modern, yet supple enough in its simple pacing of so much, yet plush in orchestral sonorities, even with incidences of doubtful intonation from woodwinds. He is always very supportive of his singers, if not the last word in being imaginative with so much that this score has to offer.

He improves on his earlier analogue set (that has been reissued on cd) in having a more varied cast here, in terms of vocal color, without losing out on issues of diction and meaningful interaction between cast members. An overriding blandness, sterility both scenically and musically to the Levine/Met Zauberflote on dvd, also on DGG, helps to make the Sawallisch here a clearly preferable choice.

Ultimately, as well supported by Sawallisch, the expert staging here, and the contributions of just about every cast member, humanity emerges as the highest and most prevailing order in society, in place of a clerical, monastic, or even a Masonic one. The complexity of Mozart's vision is as well encapsulated here as may also be the case in one or two auteur productions of this great work. Here the charm of Mozart's inspiration endures from start - traffic signals both to left and right from a moon-silhouetted Queen of the Night in alt - to finish.

This is a live performance from the Bavarian State Opera of Mozart's last great singspiel, DIE ZAUBERFLOTE (THE MAGIC FLUTE) conducted by Wolfgang Sawallisch. It is my first video of this opera, dating from 1990, and after 15 years of off/on viewing/listening, I am still most impressed with Sawallisch, the Bavarian State Opera Orchestra, singers Araiza, Popp, Brendel, Gruberova, Moll, etc. The sound, even for VHS, is very good, and I've had much pleasure from this video.

The good news is: according to Deutsche Grammophon's website, Universal will be releasing this video on DVD in October, 2005. I highly recommend this for the following reasons: great singing by the solo singers and chorus, sensible tempos set by conductor Sawallisch, acting which is appropriate but not "over the top", beautiful props and scenery, all combine together to make this a feast for the eyes AND the ears. Sawallisch (born 1923) and forces serve Mozart well, and the message of ZAUBERFLOTE with great dignity and class. Tempos are never too fast, and if there are a few minor precision problems between singers and orchestra (they are VERY FEW) they are rare.

I recently acquired James Levine/Metropolitan Opera (1991, the bicentenniel of Mozart's death - available on DG DVD) with singers Araiza and Moll from this cast in their respective roles. I also like Levine, but think his overture is too fast and reckless; his chorus is too recessed in "O Isis und Osiris", and Kurt Moll (Sarastro) sounds fresher for Sawallisch. Araiza sounds better for Sawallisch, too, and I like Tamino's clothing better in Munich than New York. I also like the 3 Ladies better in the opening number, their costumes, method of shooting the monster with pistols chasing Tamino than the MET staging of this scene.

I recommend getting the Sawallisch MAGIC FLUTE DVD when it is released in October. US release may be later this year; check Deutsche Grammophon/Universal's web site.

"yun-chai kang from seoul" must have mistaken this tape with another performance.

This is a performance at Bavaria State Opera in Munich, Germany, conducted by then the Music Director Wolfgang Sawallisch who now is the Music Director of Philadelphia Orchestra. This is not Met's performance led by Levine.

I actually like this performance better than the Met's with Levine that yun-chai kang may have been mistaken for. A Great and enjoyable performance. Excellent stage directing, Sawallisch's leading this very fine opera house, and the singers are all nothing short of my expectation. Highly recommended.

I sometimes think "The Magic Flute" is my favorite Mozart opera. But it is made up of such disparate elements that it's hard for any production to get everything right. Which is perhaps why I own seven recordings of the opera, three audio and four video.
This film from a 1983 Munich production would be my second choice for a video of the opera. The production is really quite lovely. The designs are beautiful, as are the eighteenth-century costumes. The old-fashioned stage elements like painted backdrops, moving set pieces, and trapdoors are used with charm and imagination. The cast is wonderful. Lucia Popp is pretty much a definitive Pamina, with her vocal and physical beauty and her wonderfully expressive singing. Edita Gruberova is a brilliant Queen of the Night, even if the top Fs aren't quite there on this particular evening (live performance, remember). Francisco Araiza is a lyrical and convincing Tamino. Wolfgang Brendel is a strong-voiced, genial Papageno, who keeps the comic shtick within bounds. Kurt Moll is a warm, imposing Sarastro, singing with a flawless legato line. The small parts are also well taken. Gudrun Sieber is a charming Papagena, Jan-Hendrik Rootering is an unusually powerful Speaker, the three ladies are a delight, and the three boys are wonderful. It's a bit surprising to see Monastatos and his henchmen in blackface, but this was before political correctness became universal; in any case, Norbert Orth provides a vivid character. The musical direction is in the capable hands of Wolfgang Sawallisch. I wish he'd taken more time with the slow numbers, but otherwise he turns in a well-paced, stylish performance. There is some messing-about with Act II. I can accept the logic of moving the farewell trio to the beginning of the act, but it seems strange musically to hear it there. I don't really miss the misogynistic duet for the two priests.
My favorite visual representation of the opera is Bergman's television film. No other director so fully realizes both the serious and fanciful sides of the work, and Bergman's visual images are unfailingly wonderful. Things are in good shape musically, though most of the singing is in the good-not-great class. I can live with Bergman's second act adjustments (omitting two numbers and reordering the finale), and I don't mind hearing the work in Swedish.
I have also watched the recently issued DVD of a 2005 Covent Garden production, which I find disappointing. Check out my review.

This video ZAUBERFLOTE is very much better than Levine's for many reasons. Starting with the glorious absence of Kathleen Battle who should be recording music for dentists' offices and nursing homes. Instead we have beautiful authentic Lucia Popp who never forgot how it feels to be a little girl. She wasn't German but she sure can SING German. Kurt Moll in his relative youth is more virile and imposing as Sarastro than under Levine, frightening like Aslan in the NARNIA books, so good he makes you wonder how good YOU are. Francisco Ariza also seems to have more at stake here than under Levine. All this may be because of conductor Wolfgang Sawallisch who is much more brisk and youthful sounding than Levine. (I don't think I've ever seen Mozart at the Met without thinking, too slow, too heavy, not true to Mozart. If there were an exception ZAUBERFLOTE would be it, it's the heaviest on "awesome" mode of the Big Five, but Levine overdoes even this. It's like a museum, not a drama.) Plus the Sawallisch video includes a special guest appearance in a speaking role by veteran super-heavyweight superstar Kurt Boehme. The only thing I don't like is Wolfgang Brendel who seems brutish and unchildlike as Papageno. Conversely, under Levine, Manfred Hemm does a great job in that role.

This performance is also better than others I've seen on video: the one with Lazlo Polgar as Sarastro--he's not a true bass. The one with Matti Salminen, who has the biggest top in the bass world but no real bottom. (He's like a TRex, the biggest and most dangerous dinosaur but with those little front limbs, at best useful only for picking meat out of carcasses.) Kurt Moll is the only real infra-bass I've seen as Sarastro on video. I mean someone who sings the bottom notes with no loss of relaxation or vibrato or richness of tone and gives the impression he could easily go further down.

Mozart - Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

I am very pleased with this production of the Magic Flute. The sets are terrific and the singing is excellent. Also liked the costumes.

This production of Mozart's last opera Die Zauberflote is a very wonderful production and is a must-buy for anyone who loves this opera. Wolfgang Swallish does a wonderful job conducting and the orchestra is amazing. The cast is pretty good. After the first few main characters the list flops into a list of nobody's. Francisco Arazia as Tamino is (as always) wonderful. Edita Gruberova is one of the greatest queen's ever. Kurt Moll is a very solemn singer and takes his tempos very slow but forms them into a work of art. Lucia Popp is a good Pamina but didn't quite spark my interest (she looked a little to old to play Pamina). All the secondary characters were good and fit there parts well. A big peeve of mine was that they cut out the 2 priests 2nd act duet, but I can live without it. A good idea was the sequencing of the 2nd acts 1st few scenes. I thought it was a really good idea. Overall very good performance. A bit dry and generic in places but very good and monumental production.

This is a very nice copy of the magic flute. The voices were very good. Sound quality was sort of patchy, particularly at the beginning. My favorite character is Papageno, whom I instantly admired as a robust model of epicureanism. The costumes were pretty good. The serpent at the beginning is pathetic- a middle school drama department could have done one better. The ending could have been staged much better. Overall pretty good.

The production style is traditional and the tempos are moderate - not too fast and not too slow. The Queen is disappointing only in that her voice is not imposing enough and she does not look scary and evil enough, especially not with that large gaudy shiny diamond-studded crown she wears. The most entertaining character, as expected, is Papageno who is dressed like an urban labourer with his blue-collar shirt (which is unbottoned near the top) with suspenders. The only thing that tells you he is a bird-catcher are his feather-covered pants. This Papageno is robust and jolly but lacks any avian eccentricities. Rather than a bird fanatic, he looks like a simple-minded averge joe who is just trying to make ends meet and he fails the ritualitic tests miserably because he is too average, too ordinary and too proletarian compared to the noble, idealistic and well-bred Tamino, who, dressed in white, is played with passion and integrity in this production. Pamina plays her part well but she looks a bit too old. The Three Boys do not wear angel wings, but alternate between Roccoco formal dress and childish sailor suits. Sarastro and his priests are grim and serious men dressed in long black coats, but Sarastro's voice is nonetheless deep and warm in a paternalistic way. Monostatos is lustful, cruel and a caricature so (wonderfully) politically incorrect that it shows how old this Munich production really is. Despite the age of this production by Sawallisch, it is still superior to many of the newer ones and probably even better than Levine's famous Met version. Sawallisch's approach to this beloved Mozart opera is traditional and conventional but also solid and enduring.