The Magic Flute – The Lowry, Salford

Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder

English Version: Jeremy Sands

Director: James Brining

Conductor: Oliver Rundell

Opera North once more return to the Lowry this autumn with Mozart’s The Magic Flute. The last opera written by Mozart before his early death, it is also his most accessible. The plot is a fairy tale. The young prince, Tamino, is lost in a foreign land and being pursued by a monster. He is saved by three women, the servants of the Queen of the Night. Along with her bird catcher Papageno, Tamino is sent to the lands of Sarastro, to save her daughter Pamina, who has been stolen by Sarastro. She promises Tamino the Pamina will be his bride if he can save her. However in the temples of Sarastro, all is not as simple as it seems.

While the Queen of the Night is the dark, the temple of Sarastro is the light. But Tamino and Papageno must succeed in the tasks allotted them before Tamino can win Pamina’s return. The Queen plots Sarastro’s murder but is foiled and driven from the temple. In the meantime Tamino and Pamina face the final challenges together, knowing that the protection of the magic flute will see them through the dangers. Papageno falls in love with one of Sarastro’s disciples Papagena, and they are happily brought together by the end.

The Opera North production builds on the fantasy theme heavily throughout the show. From light up swords wielded by the servants of the Queen, through the nods towards A Handmaid’s Tale, to the use of a high level of projected images, this is not a classic version of the show. It is also sung in English rather than it’s native German in an aim to make it accessible to all. The comedy is played up, especially by Papageno who is essentially a clown anyway.

Director James Brining has made sure that the production flows along smoothly with very few hiccups in the narrative, while Oliver Rundell assures that music, both orchestral and choral is performed to the highest standard. Unlike many operas, here the diction of the singers is superb and the English subtitles while appreciated are not particularly needed. Egor Zhuravskii is a charismatic and engaging Tamino but scenes are stolen with ease by Emyr Wyn Jones’ Papageno, who delights and displays great comic timing as well as a stunning bass/baritone voice. The other leads are all excellent with Claire Lees as Pamina, Anna Dennis as the Queen of the Night and Msimelelo Mbali as Sarastro.

Colin Richmond’s set and costume designs are effective at enhancing the fantasy feel of this production while Chris Davey’s lighting adds another layer to the ethereal creation. However the ‘monster’, a weak attempt at tentacles, is funny due to being badly thought out.

The Magic Flute is definitely one of the more fun and accessible operas and Opera North work hard to ensure that is understood and appreciated by more than pure opera buffs. If you don’t know opera, this is worth a visit as an entertaining introduction to the medium, but it is strong enough to please even the toughest opera aficionado.

Runs until 16th November 2024