A few other operas might be more frequently produced than “The Magic Flute,” but none exerts the same spellbinding hold on audiences young and old, serious fans and casual listeners alike.
In part because of Ingmar Bergman’s beloved film version and other adaptations, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s fantastical, often comical story of good and evil is often the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the word “opera.”
“Mozart’s father said to him that he should write for both the high and the low, and this opera is really the epitome of that,” said stage director Kevin Newbury.
“There are popular show tunes that everyone knows and can sing along to and really complicated, rich orchestral and vocal writing. So the opera connoisseur can see it 10 times and find something new in it, and the newcomer can walk in and immediately find a way to get into it.”
Such popularity helps explain why Opera Colorado is launching its 2006-07 season Friday evening with eight performances of the 1791 masterpiece – nearly twice as many as it offers for its typical productions.
In addition to the sheer popularity of the work itself, the company is banking on the appeal of this production, which features sets and costumes by Maurice Sendak, the famed children’s book author and illustrator.
Originally created in 1980 for the Houston Grand Opera, Sendak’s evocative creations have gone on to become some of the most sought-after sets and costumes in American opera history. They have been used by more than 30 companies across the country.
“In common with Mozart’s opera, what Sendak has done with this is create a world in which the magical seems to be the status quo and the everyday seems to be just magical,” said Peter Russell, Opera Colorado’s general director. “There’s a whimsy to it but also a majesty to his designs.”
Sendak, now 78, has since designed sets and costumes for an array of other operas, including Leos Janácek’s “The Cunning Little Vixen” and Sergei Prokofiev’s “Love for Three Oranges,” not to mention two operatic adaptations of his books by Oliver Knussen.
It can be challenging for a director to have to bend his vision to fit a pre-existing design, but not in this case. Newbury, who first saw Bergman’s movie adaptation when he was 5, could not be more pleased.
“My first impression of ‘The Magic Flute,”‘ he said, “was very much from the point of view of being a child and being thrown into this world where there were dragons and scary queens and this kind of pop-up-book wilderness, so landing in Maurice Sendak’s world seems kind of fitting for my own view of the production.”
Rather than just copy how other directors have used the sets and costumes, Newbury has tried to approach this opera as though the visual elements – indeed, the entire work – were new.
“We’re starting from scratch of how we move people throughout this world and tell the story, which is a lot of fun,” he said. “It’s all consistent with what Sendak did originally, but we can put our own take on it as well. I think he’d be very happy with what we’re doing. I hope so.”
In that spirit of freshness, Newbury has tried to avoid some of the artificial conventions that have grown up around certain aspects of the opera.
“There are lots of opera clichés that I think ‘The Magic Flute’ is especially prone to – the three ladies and three spirits all moving in unison and doing the same kind of tacky choreography and Pamina and Tamino always clutching their heart when they’re talking about falling in love,” he said.
Instead, Newbury has focused on the fundamental elements of this mystical, fairy-tale quest for love and virtue. It centers on a budding romance between Tamino (Norman Reinhardt or Frederic Antoun in this partially double-cast production), a prince, and Pamina (Ying Huang or Heidi Stober), daughter of the evil Queen of the Night (Amanda Pabyan).
“It’s such a compelling piece, plus it’s a universal story,” Newbury said. “It’s a rite of passage. It’s the coming of age and being thrown into the woods for the very first time. Whether you’re a prince or a birdman living in the woods, you’re all undergoing the same kind of trials and have to learn how to grow up.”
Russell admits that he always touts the quality of the casts the company assembles for each production, but he said he is particularly excited about the singers he and James Robinson, the company’s artistic director, recruited for this show.
Newbury agrees, citing the fun he has had working with these willing performers in rehearsals.
“It’s a bright, young cast,” he said. “They can really sing the roles. They look the roles, and they’re all actors. And most important, they all have a sense of humor, so it’s going to be a really fun ‘Magic Flute.”‘
Fine arts critic Kyle MacMillan can be reached at 303-954-1675 or kmacmillan@denverpost.com.
“The Magic Flute”
Opera Colorado | Ellie Caulkins Opera House, Denver Performing Arts Complex, 14th and Curtis streets; 8:15 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m. Nov. 14, 16, 17 and 18 and 2 p.m. Nov. 19 | $27-$157; family “four-packs” available for $200 | 303-357-2787 or ticketmaster.com
