Above: Rolando Villazón as Papageno
~ Author: Oberon
Sunday December 10th, 2023 matinee - The first of two performances of the Julie Taymor English-language MAGIC FLUTE at The Met that I am attending this season.There are always many children in the theatre for this spiffy English-language production, but today it was literally a kiddie show, and while they were mostly well-behaved, there was a constant undercurrent of whispering and wriggling, and a serious disruption when someone's device went off which sounded like jangling bells.
Patrick Furrer lead a lively, perfectly-paced performance that was a balm to the ear, in direct contrast to yesterday's six degrees of loudness from the shores of the Amazon.
One of the main attractions in this afternoon's cast was the Polish tenor Piotr Buszewski as Tamino; Mr. Buszewski (above) had made an excellent impression as the Chevalier de la Force in last season's DIALOGUES DES CARMELITES. He sang handsomely as Tamino, successfully bringing both passion and stylishness to the music; his polished English diction, tinged with just a trace of Eastern European allure. His Pamina today was Janai Brugger; her warm lyricism is a perfect fit for this Mozart princess's music, and she and Mr. Buszewski made a gorgeous moment out of "Tamino mine!...Pamina mine!"
Bradley Sherratt was a very fine Sarastro, with the deep notes nice and firm, and a clear and distinctive speaking voice that lent the role both gravitas and a sense of humanity. Mr. Sherratt's "O Isis and Osiris" was a vocal highlight of the afternoon, and his second aria would have been likewise, but a distracting streak of audience noise rather spoiled it.
Kathryn Lewek again enjoyed a great success as the Queen of the Night. The first aria was marvelously sung, though there is an unkind cut in the music, Ms. Lewek's extraordinary, gossamer pianissimo at "Denn meine Hülfe war zu schwach" sent a chill up my spine. In the brilliant second aria, the soprano stirred the crowd to a vociferous round of applause, though the high-F's were a bit wild today.
Patrick Carfizzi joined Mr. Buszewski for one of my favorite scenes in the opera: the Speaker's confronting of the prince before the temple doors. Mr. Carfizzi always makes his mark, and Mr. Buszewski's "O endless night!" was hauntingly expressed.
Caitlin Lynch (who I recall fondly from her performance in the 2011 NYC premiere of Nico Muhly's DARK SISTERS), Maire Therese Carmack, and Daryl Freedman fared well as the Three Ladies, but the Three Spirits were again vocally pallid. Magdalena Kuźma was a delightful Papagena (though I did miss my dear friend Ashley Emerson's presence this season), and Brenton Ryan excelled as Monastatos, especially clear and incisive in the final quintet as the "bag guys" plan an assault on the temple.
Walking away with the day's top honors was Rolando Villazón as Papageno. I have seen (and enjoyed) him in this role previously,) but he has honed it further, and now it's perfect. The voice is really neither tenor nor baritone now, and it's rather short of core; his diction is so charming...even when you cannot always understand what he is saying. He ad libbed (often in Spanish) riotously all afternoon, getting a big chuckle from the adults in the audience with "I feel the Earth move under my feet..."
A big bouquet for the Met's principal flautist Chelsea Knox (above) - magical indeed - and thanks to the Spirits for reminding me: "You have a life, so live it while you can."
~ Oberon