Customer Reviews

Mozart: Il Flauto Magico

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I think this is a very valuable set to have. To begin with there is Karajan's unusually sensitive conducting of the score. To my ears, Karajan was much more historically significant as an opera conductor than anything else. His great Cosi and Rosenkavalier with Schwarzkopf stand as proof of that, and seem to have a self-effacement that his somewhat solipsistic orchestral work did not. But specifically this reading of Die Zauberflote is notable for its treatment of the score more as something akin to the composer's operas outside the orbit of Singspiel. The grand operatic arc is very apparent in Karajan's direction in a way few other performances evidence. Thus the considerable stylistic intricacy of the work is more apparent in this more high operatic treatment. That is, more apparent than in would be in a performance with a stronger Singspiel valence. The fact that it is sung in Italian may have helped this tendency, though it clearly comes from a reservoir of deep musical comprehension on the performers' parts. A very Mozartian comprehension, to use an adjective I don't particularly favor. In this regard, Schwarzkopf is as great as usual. But Rita Streich is the real standout as the Queen. A more touching rendering, and not just for her sparkling coloratura, is not likely to be found. The only real trouble with the set is the almost interminable dialogue in Italian, which is really quite annoying. Too bad they did not edit it out, or at least trim it.

Although both Mozart and librettist Emanuel Schikaneder wanted The Magic Flute sung in German, this Italian rendition is breathtaking. Mozart is so universal, that his operas seem to sound good in other languages as well (I remember I saw a Nozze di Figaro in French and it was excellent).

The most important thing is that, vocally and musically, this version is superior to most. It is performed by a splendid cast, the great RAI orchestra, and the magnificent RAI chorus. The flutist is wonderful in the crucial solo flute parts and so is the pianist who plays the Glockenspiel. The three Genii are sung by women with excellent vocal technique (this performance was before the modern trend to have boys sing these roles, which trend -- minority opinion coming -- only serves to mar the music AND break the kids' throats).

It is impossible to do justice to every performer in this limited space, but here are a few points. Elisabeth Schwartzkopf sings Pamina with several voice colors: light and sweet in the duet with Papageno, dark and spinto in the character's moments of gloom, such as "Ah, io so, piu non m'avanza (Ach, ich fühl's, es ist verschwunden)", and with great noblesse in Pamina's story of how her father carved the magic flute [in the scene "Chi in questa sponde la virtu (Der, welcher wandert diese Strasse)"]. Nicolai Gedda is an excellent Tamino, Rita Streich is less impressive in the first aria, but "Gli angui d'inferno (Der Hölle Rache)" establishes the Queen as her signature role. All performers are excellent, even in the shorter roles, except Papagena and the tenor who sings the First Armed Man.

Basso cantabile Mario Petri creates Sarastro vocally with special legato and great beauty of tone, to more than compensate for his weaker lower notes.

But the star of the show is Giuseppe Taddei. As a die-hard fan of the Flute, I have heard all kinds of singers do Papageno and arguably Taddei is the greatest. Possessing a vocal technique that borders on perfection, he creates the complex character of Papageno, comic but actually tragic-comic, with his voice: using mezza voce in the duet with Pamina, exuberant in his arias, and dramatic in his attempted suicide scene. Considering how demanding this role is, both vocally and in point of acting, and considering that even great singers sometimes stumble on it, it is almost unbelievable to hear Papageno sung with additional technical difficulties such as the effects I pointed to above, even with possibly comic sobs in the tragic hanging scene.

Karajan's conducting vision is awesome, although the tempo is a little too fast at times: for example, the good-bye scene with the Three Ladies, when Tamino and Papageno leave the realm of ordinary mortals to approach the realm of initiation (even if the characters don't know it yet), should be more solemn.

The recording is not great technologically, there are some variations in loudness and the Glockenspiel sounds too loud, but we should be lenient, because it is a live recording of the 1950s.