Die Zauberflöte
Mar. 19th, 2009 11:24 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
julietSo, it turns out that opera is a lot more interesting if it's actually staged. I know, I was surprised too.
The opera in question was The Magic Flute (sung in German[0], but with English surtitles, & English dialogue), at the Opera House, & was v good. Though I got a bit restless during some of the serious-ish (Masonic & Enlightenment-philosophical) bits in the second half. (I also couldn't avoid the internal critical deconstruction of the racist/sexist aspects of it, but yes, 18th c lyrics, not surprising.)
It was very well staged - I particularly liked the dance/acrobat people they had being wild animals & Night Armies and so on. (There was a brief bit with fire-staff: competent enough but I've seen & would expect better at pretty much any festival; but then the very good fire-staff people at festivals aren't as bendy & acrobatic as these guys, so it balances out.) Sarastro had a lovely furry voice; the Queen of the Night *just* made her high F.
Papageno showed up with a portable barbie & a six-pack, & continued thus entertainingly Aussie-bloke throughout; Papagena had bleached blonde dreads, hotpants, & furry boots. All very fine. I was in the cheap seats in the side, from where you can't quite see all the stage, & have a weird angle on the surtitles, but I had about the best of the cheap seats, & was perfectly happy with being able to see 75% or so of the stage. Also I could see down into the pit!
Anyway: I actually enjoyed it enough that I might consider going again, which is a bit of a shock given that I've been bitching about disliking opera for about 20 years now. I still wouldn't be inclined to listen to it without the staging, though.
[0] I was pleased that my German is still competent enough to notice where they'd flattened the translation a bit. Though I would have been screwed without the surtitles, but then it *is* opera, this is normal.
The opera in question was The Magic Flute (sung in German[0], but with English surtitles, & English dialogue), at the Opera House, & was v good. Though I got a bit restless during some of the serious-ish (Masonic & Enlightenment-philosophical) bits in the second half. (I also couldn't avoid the internal critical deconstruction of the racist/sexist aspects of it, but yes, 18th c lyrics, not surprising.)
It was very well staged - I particularly liked the dance/acrobat people they had being wild animals & Night Armies and so on. (There was a brief bit with fire-staff: competent enough but I've seen & would expect better at pretty much any festival; but then the very good fire-staff people at festivals aren't as bendy & acrobatic as these guys, so it balances out.) Sarastro had a lovely furry voice; the Queen of the Night *just* made her high F.
Papageno showed up with a portable barbie & a six-pack, & continued thus entertainingly Aussie-bloke throughout; Papagena had bleached blonde dreads, hotpants, & furry boots. All very fine. I was in the cheap seats in the side, from where you can't quite see all the stage, & have a weird angle on the surtitles, but I had about the best of the cheap seats, & was perfectly happy with being able to see 75% or so of the stage. Also I could see down into the pit!
Anyway: I actually enjoyed it enough that I might consider going again, which is a bit of a shock given that I've been bitching about disliking opera for about 20 years now. I still wouldn't be inclined to listen to it without the staging, though.
[0] I was pleased that my German is still competent enough to notice where they'd flattened the translation a bit. Though I would have been screwed without the surtitles, but then it *is* opera, this is normal.
