In the world of fairy tales and fantasy – animated “The Magic Flute” returns to the Polish National Opera
The unique, animated performance of “The Magic Flute” by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has already been shown in 35 different cities around the world, gathering the audience of nearly 700K viewers. The production premiered in 2012 at the Komische Oper in Berlin. Four years later, the play was transferred to the Polish National Opera, where it has been regularly shown since then. The performance has been staged by Australian director Barrie Kosky.
According to the Operabase platform, the story of Prince Tamino trying to free Princess Pamina – the daughter of the evil Queen of the Night – from the hands of the mysterious high priest Sarastro, is the second most frequently performed opera in the world after “La Traviata.” It is in the score of “The Magic Flute” that you can hear “Der Hölle Rache” – the Queen of the Night’s aria, possibly the most difficult soprano aria. It requires the singer to have perfect coloraturas – an exceptional fluency in transitioning between sounds, including very high notes.
Although the opera is nowadays considered an elitist show, it is worth remembering that Mozart wrote “The Magic Flute” for an unsophisticated audience of a folk theater on the outskirts of Vienna. The opera was commissioned by the composer’s friend, actor and impresario – Emanuel Schikaneder to his own libretto. The show premiered at the Theater auf der Wieden on September 30, 1791, with Mozart himself conducting on the podium. The atmosphere of the opening was credibly portrayed by Miloš Forman in his film “Amadeus.” “The Magic Flute” was received enthusiastically, it was played throughout October 1791, and some fragments were encored, as the composer happily reported in the letters to his wife Constanze. Before a year had passed, “The Magic Flute” exceeded one hundred performances in Vienna alone, and then traveled throughout Europe, also reaching the National Theater in Warsaw, two years after the Vienna premiere – we read on the website of the Polish National Opera.
What is Kosky’s staging of “The Magic Flute” about? It takes the viewers on a surprising journey into the world of fairy tales and fantasy, which unfolds on a giant screen mounted on the stage. The director juggles elements of silent film, slapstick comedy and cartoon art. There are pink elephants quaffing cocktails from flute glasses, huge spiders, crocodiles and pale vampires in the costume of Count Dracula. The animation perfectly matches the singers’ performance on stage, and 2,000 hand-made drawings displayed on the screen synchronize with the music.
The performance of “The Magic Flute” in the original German language version with Polish subtitles will be shown three more times in January and February 2025 at the Polish National Opera in Warsaw. For the first time, it will be led by Adam Banaszak from behind the conductor’s desk. The cast will feature emerging Polish singers.