Customer Reviews

Mozart - The Magic Flute / Ostman, Biel, Dahlberg, Drottningholm Court Theatre

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an absolutely wonderful production of the magic flute - creative, unpretenetious, theatrical, with a true sense of fun. The production is given in a small 18th century theater with an orchestra of period instrumentalists led by Arnold Ostmann.

This is not a slick powerhouse virtuoso performance, a la the Met. If you are interested primarily in the performance aspect - ie. technical ability, accuracy, intonation, etc., this might not be the peformance for you. I do not mean to suggest that the technical abilities of the performers are not up to the task - quite the contrary - but this is a production where the whole adds up to more than the sum of its parts.

The orchestra is very good, with an attractively transparent and silvery sound. The three principals filling the roles of Tamino, Pamina and Papageno are all excellent. They each possess attractive voices, and just as importantly, there are each very good actors. This is not the kind of production where the singers stand like a log in the middle of the stage to deliver their arias. They are constantly active, always acting the part. Papageno, in particular, is a delight - one of the best I've ever seen.

The queen of the night takes her arias VERY fast, faster then I've ever heard. She manages most of the high notes, but intonation is spotty in a few places. Vocally, it is passable, and the musical interpretation is rather idiosyncratic, but in terms of her appearance and acting she is wonderful - she gives off a subtly creepy vibe that is entirely appropriate to the role.

The three ladies are well done, as are the three boys (sung by young women). Sarastro, Monostatos and Papagena are also very good indeed, especially Sarastro. Papageno's final duet with Papagena is absolutely delightful, and a highlight of the performance.

Sound quality is okay though rather soft-grained - I found it useful to turn up the volume a bit higher than usual, after which everything came into focus, and the sound was actually quite good. Stereo only, however. Picture quality is not so good, unfortunately. Rather grainy, with less-than-ideal contrast between light and dark, and some serious streaking. However, I found that the musical and theatrical virtues of this production so far outweigh the problems with the picture quality, that it did not detract from my enjoyment in any way.

Of the productions of Zauberflote available on DVD, I much preferred this DVD to the minimalist production available on Arthaus, led by Wolfgang Gonnenwien. While not a bad performance, it is totally outcharmed by this delightful production. I have not seen the entire Met DVD, but I have seen a few clips from it on a DG sampler, and found the slick, hard-driven sound of the orchestra not to my liking. Those looking for a gentler alternative would do well to check out this release.

5 stars.

This production does everything right. Why is Arnold Ostman's conducting so underrated in the U.S.?- He is masterful, and this production is with period instruments! the cast could not be better. Anyone ELSE out there let down by Battle's MET performance? Here's your relief. This production does ALOT with very little- forget about special effects, This lets you simply enjoy the story, humor, and great cast! The Queen of the night is refreshingly flirty with Pamino and more connected to the storyline than in most productions. Stefan Dahlberg is superb. A must for your library!

In many respects, this is a lovely performance. Stefan Dahlberg is superb as Tamino - what a lovely tone and secure technique he has, and this is one tenor who looks the part, too. While I'm not a huge fan of Ann Christine Biel, she does a good job with Pamina here - it's not as good a performance as Barbara Bonney or Lucia Popp in the role, but it's nice work, nonetheless. The Sarastro is very nice indeed - a good true bass without any problems. Papageno is sung delightfully with a light touch.

The sense throughout is one of intimacy and charm... So far, so good.

But there is one thing that marrs this for me beyond words. Birgit Louise Frandsen sings the Queen of the Night - or, no, to be frank, she attempts to sing the Queen of the Night.

It is the most unforgivable piece of miscasting I've encountered in my life. I do not exaggerate. How CAN it have escaped the attention of the previous reviewers that this soprano has so little coloratura ability that all she succeeds in doing is shredding the role entirely? During the triplets in her second aria, Der Hölle Rache, the conductor ACTUALLY SLOWS DOWN THE TEMPO to half-speed in order to give her a chance of negotiating the notes. The voice itself is like sandpaper and blancmange - irritating and with distressing wobbles.

Had a good Königin been cast in this pivotal role, I'd have given this DVD a 4.5 to 5 star rating. I feel I'd be dishonest, however, in assigning it more than 3 stars to "forgive" the atrocious Queen of the Night.

This is a DVD to own for the sake of the other singers, in particular the wonderful Dahlberg. I feel ashamed that I have to fast-forward some of the most spectacular music Mozart ever composed just to watch this otherwise lovely DVD.

I am not an opera fan, but I've always been curious about it, so I ordered this one just to see what it's like to go to an opera house and watch a live opera performance with a real orchestra playing. I got exactly what I wanted.

This DVD doesn't have as good a color as a Pizza Hut commercial, but it is by no means inferior. It is obviously an expensive production done in a German-speaking opera house, so it feels authentic. The props look fancy and expensive, and the acting and singing are superb. Part of it is kind of boring, but I find several songs very charming. Some are familiar; now for the first time I know what those tunes are about. All the actors and actresses look about the right age, and Princess Pamina is a beautiful woman. Prince Tamino isn't as handsome, but still OK.

In particular, my 7-year-old finds the beginning scene of the monster chasing the prince rather fascinating, and in general shows a lot of interest in this opera, to my surprise. So if you are looking at starting your kids on opera, this is probably the best choice.

Runtime: 160 minutes. German with English subtitles.

I also found the entire lyrics (libretto) with side by side English translation here:

http://www.aria-database.com/translations/magic_flute.txt

It's good if you wish to learn to sing some of the songs.

Filmed at the Drottningholm Court Theatre in Sweden (the same theatre where Ingmar Bergman set his classic film of "The Magic Flute" 14 years earlier), this production of Mozart's last opera is infused with a delicious 18th century feel. Its simple, wing-and-drop sets reflect the Europe of Mozart's own time, as do the costumes, with most of the principle characters in court dress, and Papageno, Papagena and the chorus in peasant garb. Anyone looking for a lavish fairy-tale "Flute" will probably be disappointed by this production's intimate simplicity, but personally, I like its quaint, Old World feel. Furthermore, all the characters are portrayed as believable, engaging human beings, not just dime-a-dozen fairy-tale archetypes. The Queen of the Night is a convincingly distraught mother as well as a villainess. Sarastro has his own fears and anger even amidst his wisdom and kindness. The three Boys are an adorably impish trio, not just deus ex machinas. Papageno is a lovably earthy, mischievous presence, not just goofy comic relief. Best of all, Tamino isn't just a bland fairy-tale prince, but a believable boy on the verge of manhood: friendly, passionate and brave yet vulnerable. Meanwhile, the singing is good all around (though the only really outstanding voice belongs to Laszlo Polgar as Sarastro) and Arnold Östman does a fine job of conducting Drottningholm's period-instrument orchestra. I recommend this DVD to any Mozart lover.

I am in general agreement with "A Viewer's" interesting assessment.

This DVD has a delightfully bucolic flavour to it but one should not be misled by the apparently provincial nature of the setting nor the seemingly rustic character of the production - this is a highly professional, very imaginative and delightfully effective realization of an opera which is always fun although not always funny. However, this staging (which I imagine to be close to a contemporary production), whether it be the creatures of the forest or the occasionally lewd behaviour of Papageno, is full of mirth and belly laughs where the drama allows.

Nor should one suppose the orchestra to be a scratch band in fancy dress; the Court Theatre is much in use with the permanent players and Arnold Ostman continually engaged in dramatic music at a high level.

Stage direction and the unforced acting are to an unusually high standard. The noise of the well operated scenery mechanics just adds to the jollity. To compare this production with something from The Met is to miss the point totally - the two are anything but analogous; anyway, this is The Flute - not Otello!

I very much like Ann-Christine Biel in the role of Pamina; her voice has an adolescent simplicity which suits the part admirably. Other soloists are equally accomplished with Stefan Dahlberg (Pamino) occasionally giving us some nice Heldentenor delivery. The ensemble singing is tight and well executed, the orchestra excellent and nicely balanced; both within itself and with the vocal performances.

Sadly, I have to say that I find the Queen of the Night wholly unconvincing with vocal and dramatic performances irritatingly below the standard set by the rest of the cast.

Sound quality is first class; video is not. I do not know if the requirements for stage lighting are different from those of television but given that this production was aimed at the latter, I would expect a much better picture than this - it lacks contrast and definition. Of course, the lighting may have been intended to simulate a period atmosphere but if so, I don't think it worked.

Notes accompanying DVDs often are disgracefully scanty; this offering is as bad as any in this respect. Frankly, the one-sided, single sheet of "Scene Selections" is little more than useless and very much "short changing" on the part of the publishers who can and should do much better than this; given the price one has to pay for the video, this situation is shameful. One has to wait 160 minutes for the film end-credits to determine who has sung what.

Nevertheless, this DVD provides wonderful entertainment on a number of levels, not the least of which is that of introducing children and others to the wonders of the operatic genre (and to whom comprehensive notes would be a boon). Despite my critical observations, I commend it highly for this is a really delightful production of enormous fun.

Okay, a lot has been said so far about this production, but am I the only one here to notice the absolutely brilliant staging-- and the marvelous portrayal of Papagena? One reviewer pointed out that this Papageno is one of the best they'd ever seen, but the Papagena here more than holds her own opposite him; she matches him "feather for feather" (the scene where she is first forcibly restrained from coming out of hiding as Papageno sings of his wish for a sweetheart, then carried off in high mutiny after being briefly revealed to him, is priceless)

And of all versions I have yet seen, this is the one that does the fullest justice, dramatically speaking, to Pamina's beautiful, heartbreaking lament (Ach Ich Fuhl's). Tamino's reactions for the duration of the scene are spot-on; unfortunately, he spoils the effect the moment she leaves by overdoing it- bursting into melodramatic, *audible* sobs.

As far as the play itself goes, I find the treatment of gender and race troubling, but nonetheless find the music and overall story delightful.

This is the first rendition of the Magic Flute I ever saw, and although there are several excellent versions out there, this is still the one I like the best.

Another reviewer penned it so well, that this production is not "pretentious," and I believe that is why many enjoy it so much. It is not slick "techno" glittery Americanized hype production, but simple sets and passionate performers who seem to delight in performing it so much.

Was taken very much by the orchestration, so well done in this case the Drottninghom Court Theatre Orchestra and Chorus directed by Arnold Ostman on period instruments. Bravo!

Each of the opera writter by Schikaneder was very well done, but my favorite is the delightful Pagageno! What charisma this guy Samuelson exudes in this part! He is the best! Also, the queen's three and the three boys who lead the trials are excellent as well!

The story is delightful, but spiritually is troublesome, due to Isis et al. Too much of Mozart's and Schikaneder's Freemasonry in this for me. The serpent, sin and evil, are themes but not dealt with in true spiritual reality. If this is proposed as the fairy tale which permeates it, then so be it.

All in all, just a delightful opera so well produced and performed. Wonderful entertainment!

With one glaring exception, the Drottningholm Court Theatre production of Mozart's "The Magic Flute" is about as nearly perfect as one can hope to find in this world. One outstanding example is that Laszlo Polgar in the role of Sarastro not only has an extensive and powerful lower range, but his singing is always lyrical, something rarely heard among bass voices. Even his lowest notes are still well rounded and beautiful, displaying no sign of stress within the singer. Another glorious touch is that Ann Christine Biel in the role of Tamina is not only young and beautiful--which the part calls for--but her voice is clear as a bell and right on target on every note. In keeping with the minimalist staging of the opera, she wears an unadorned simple gown which accents her youth and vulnerability.

The music is of course beautiful--after all, it is Mozart. The well-known Queen of the Night's aria, which has defeated the attempts of countless sopranos, is sung by Birgit Louise Frandsen with clarity, power and pinpoint accuracy. In an extended duet between the baritone Mikael Samuelson, as Papigano, and soprano Tamina toward the end of the first act, the two voices weave intermingling melodies and counter-melodies that are classic Mozart. The prayer to Osiris sung by Solastro at the beginning of the second act is profoundly moving

The sole exception to the perfection of this performance is the casting of women as the three boys in the age range of 11-14. When sung by talented boys, as intended by Mozart, these scenes can be musically beautiful and accompanied by youthful antics. In this production, unfortunately, these roles are sung by three women who are at least in their 30s--or beyond--who have well trained, cultivated women's voices, who make each appearance in what looks like a lawn swing being lowered from overhead and leave the scene by being hoisted up into the fly space. In an otherwise perfect performance, this is so jarring that I usually fast forward past these appearances.

The disc does have subtitles, but their main function is to show how ridiculous is the plot. After a quick reading of the subtitles to get the gist of the lyrics, the best way for one to appreciate the performance is simply to watch and listen, surrendering oneself to the magic of Mozart

The cast, though of relatively obscure soloists do a very good job. The "trade mark" of this opera is the queen of the night aria, which is ok, but not as brilliant as in other recordings (I'd given it 5 stars otherwise).
However the Sarasto soloist is a terrific bass, and I doubt there is a better playing of the Monostatos. The later is truly unique and let alone it is worth the purchase of this DVD.