Customer Reviews

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte / Hendricks, J. Anderson, Steinsky, Hadley, Lloyd, Allen, Hornik, Mackerras

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Hearing this recording of Die Zauberflote is very much like hearing the singspiel for the first time.

The biggest plus in this recording is that Mackerras does not try to out-do himself. The interpretation is one that is familiar to all of us, and while it seems that Mackerras doesn't really have anything new to say about this piece, he certainly avoids extremes which is a good thing. For instance, there are no messy and rushed tempos here in the light of other period-instrument rendition of Die Zauberflote. Nor are there any superfluous lines or oversized orchestras. His interpretation seems to fit Mozart's music very well.

The spoken dialogue in this Schickaneder singspiel appears here in it's original form.

The cast if wisely chosen. I was blown-away with June Anderson's Queen of the Night. Her execution of the high notes are precise and even. After all, she was the same soprano who sang the Queen of the Night in the movie, "Amadeus."

This piece was written to be a charmer and Mackerras's release must really suit Mozart's intentions.

I have seen references to "casting deficiencies" for this recording, but without any specifics. I have heard this recording compared unfavourably to that of B?hm. The B?hm is a typical product of its age, technically flawless, meticulously put together, with Wunderlich and Fischer-Dieskau, no less. The trouble is, they and the other singers sound bored and mechanical, anxious to get it over with, possibly because B?hm's pace is way too slow for Mozart, especially for Die Zauberfl?te.

By contrast, this recording is fun, and clearly the musicians and singers really seem to want us to enjoy ourselves. Hadley, Hendricks, Allen and the rest sound as if they have a smile on their faces as they are singing.

The highlight of this recording for me is the Drei Damen, especially Petra Maria Schnitzer, whose silky soubrette voice is so perfectly made for Mozart, soaring over the sublime highs of the soprano trios in the first act and Wie, Wie, Wie at the beginning of Act 2.

The only thing I complain about is the recording level. I have to turn up the volume way higher than for anything else in my collection.

This opera by Mozart is truly amazing; it magnifies his talent as a composer! I especially loved the Queen of the Night, played by June Anderson. Her voice fit the character beautifully! She was able to do all the very difficult songs with so much ease!

I love Mackerras. I have two other recordings of his, and they too are great. This "Flute" has that Mozart feel to it; Mozart's spirit shines through in the playing and singing. I mean, a few seconds into the overture and you realize you're in good hands. I've heard about 3 other productions of "The Magic Flute" and I put this one at the top. I don't know; it just feels like the musicians are having fun with this Singspiel. Which is how it should be, after all! (And don't worry, the Queen hits those high notes really well.) Unconditionally recommended.

For those of us who have for years been swapping between Klemperer and Böhm and wishing for a recording synthesising the two casts - essentially Böhm's male singers and Klemperer's ladies - this is the best modern alternative. It seems to have been either overlooked or rather scorned by the critics; I'm not sure why.

In his first Mozart recording, Mackerras has no especially individual mark to put on the score but is simply concerned to deliver a lithe, nimble, pacy account. He coaxes delightful playing from the Scottish Chamber Orchestra on modern instruments but with a minimum of vibrato and Romantic weight, and has an innate sense of Mozartian style. The original "Gramophone" review by Alan Blyth complained of over-reverberant sound; I find it ideal, so perhaps it has been tamed in some mild remastering; I don't know.

Given that we have three Americans and two British singers in the principal roles delivering the full Schikaneder spoken text and, ironically, mostly Germans in the subsidiary parts, there is a risk of the whole enterprise having too Anglo-Saxon an accent. Blyth complained of unidiomatic German from the Americans and the three Scottish boys who sing "Die drei jungen Knaben" while complimenting the two British linguists. It is true that Thomas Allen and Robert Lloyd sound most at home in the language but I doubt whether most listeners care that much; all sing beautifully and sound good enough to me.

No-one can touch Wunderlich in the role, but the late Jerry Hadley sings a lovely, boyish, flexible Tamino apart from little bleats in the approach to some higher notes. I love Barbara Hendricks' slightly grainy, flickering soprano and do not at all agree with Blyth that she sounds anonymous; this is a vulnerable, girlish Pamina with a soaring top. June Anderson surprises as the Queen of the Night. Her smoky timbre and an incipient beat make her sound uncannily like a more mature Joan Sutherland; she is a fierce Queen with all the notes even if she isn't Lucia Popp or Diana Damrau. Allen rivals Fischer-Dieskau for geniality, cunning inflection of the text and suavity of voice; this is a part ideally suited to his vocal and theatrical gifts. Robert Lloyd is sonorous and authoritative as Sarastro. The supporting cast is excellent, especially Peter Svensson and Gottfried Hornik doubling up as First Priest and First Armed Man, and Speaker and Second Priest, respectively.

This recording has been available as a super-bargain Brilliant issue and on Telarc; it is a cheap, delightful account of a perennial favourite, light-hearted and charming but still encompassing the darker undertones, balancing the comedy with the mystical, metaphysical implications.

As a bonus, a duet of dubious authenticity for Tamino and Papageno is provided; "Pamina, wo bist du?". It was first sung in a production by Schikaneder in 1802; Mackerras suggests that its gaucheries imply that it was elaborated from Mozart's sketch by an unknown hand, possibly the local Kapellmeister. It doesn't sound anything like echt mature Mozart to me.

This is the first recording of the full opera I have bought. In my opinion the best actor/singer in this recording is Thomas Allen (Papageno)--he is very believable and a superb baritone. The best singer, technically speaking, is Jerry Hadley--to my knowledge the best tenor I have ever heard. I was disappointed with the Königen der Nacht (Queen of the Night). I know her aria "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" is probably the most challenging aria yet written, but she is just disappointing after hearing Christina Deutekom (the best Königen der Nacht I have heard) or Lucia Popp. But, plainly speaking, she is very good (you can't expect everyone to be the best--I've just been spoilt listening to Deutekom); I especially enjoyed her aria, "O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn." I listen to at least part of this recording every day--I just love it!