Author: Oberon
Saturday December 30th, 2023 matinee - Back for a second performance of the Taymor abbreviated, English-language version of MAGIC FLUTE this afternoon. There were singers new to me in the cast, and also one of the brightest lights of the 'now' generation: soprano Liv Redpath, who I was keen to hear again after having very much enjoyed her singing at the Richard Tucker Gala at Carnegie Hall earlier this season, as well as her scintillating Oscar in BALLO IN MASCHERA at The Met.
Gareth Morrell was on the podium this afternoon, pacing things perfectly and supporting the singers at every moment. It took a few moments for the Three Ladies to find their blend, but once they got going, their singing was appealing - though their role in the story is reduced by too much musical cutting in this version. Amanda Batista's soprano is bright and clear, and Lindsay Ammann's alto warm and dusky. As the 2nd Lady, Edyta Kulczak is always fun to hear, and her timbre is the most distinctive of the three. The Three Spirits were again weakly cast vocally. As the two Priests (essentially spoken roles), clear diction is key: Dylan Morrongiello and Paul Corona were spot on. And the duo of Guards - Daniel O'Hearn and Rocky Eugenio Sellers - helped make the Trial Scene a highlight of the show.
Especially pleasing to hear this afternoon were Thomas Capobianco as Monastatos and William Guanbo Su as the Speaker. Mr. Capobianco seemed to favor a more 'vocal' approach to the slave's music, rather than just going after comic effects. Mr. Su displayed a rich, imposing bass timbre and his excellent diction made his scene with Tamino (my favorite part of the opera) wonderfully understandable. At this, the turning point of the story, a round of applause covered the work's most poetic moment: Tamino's "O endless night!"
In the role of the questing Prince, Joshua Blue (who sang a very fine Verdi REQUIEM with Oratorio Society at Carnegie Hall in 2019), sang his 'portrait aria' persuasively, though the cuts in the music dampen the effectiveness of this paean to love. Mr. Blue's voice falls pleasingly on the ear, with its sense of blooming lyricism;...he replied to Pamina's radiant "Tamino mine!" with an ardent "Pamina mine!"
Liv Redpath gave a sterling Pamina, her timbre having a nice sheen to it, and her dynamics wonderfully responsive to the princess's moods. When Papageno, attempting to rescue Pamina, suggests that they lie to Sarastro to cover their subterfuge, Ms. Redpath responded with a heavenly "Be truthful!" and, as mentioned earlier, her "Tamino mine!" was simply gorgeous. She phrased the arching line of Pamina's great aria perfectly, though an undercurrent of noise from the many children in the audience somewhat undermined the moment.
Alexander Birch Elliott (above) was a clear audience favorite - understandably so. His voice is robustly masculine and his diction clear as a bell: perfect delivery of line after line. He caught all the humor of the translation, and was truly hilarious as he employed an echo effect when trying to locate "Tamino...no...no...!" as darkness engulfed the scene. Mr. Elliott sealed his triumph with a terrific rendering of "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" (or whatever it is in translation) and enjoyed a lively ovation at his solo bow before calling forth his Papagena - Lindsay Ohse - who brought a nice touch of earthiness to her singing.
At opposite ends of the opera's vast span of vocal range, Jeni Houser (Queen of the Night) and James Creswell (Sarastro) both fared very well indeed. Ms. Houser's a light-voiced Queen in the manner of Roberta Peters or Erika Köth; her first aria had some lovely delicacies of expression - as if to mask the Queen's true intentions - and she spun out the coloratura of the concluding segment with aplomb. Her 'vengeance aria' was impressive in its agility and accuracy, and she summoned a nice dose of venom for her climactic command: "Swear...swear...swear!!!"
As the benevolent Sarastro, James Creswell's spoken lines were vividly clear and finely inflected. In his two arias, he showed a bass voice suffused with a sense of compassion, true to his mission to save the world from encroaching darkness.
If only we could find a Sarastro for our own time.
~ Oberon