Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
THE MAGIC FLUTE
Die Zauberflöte
Opera in two acts in the original German
CREATORS:
Staging and directing | Giovanny Castellanos
Music director | Marcin Sompoliński
Set designer | Rafał Olbiński, Katarzyna Gabrat-Szymańska
Costumes | Marcin Łobacz
Choreography | Jakub Lewandowski
Lighting design | Damian Pawella
Multimedia and graphic | Sylwester Siejna
Sarastro | Krzysztof Borysiewicz
The Queen Of The Night | Joanna Moskowicz /Maria Rozynek-Banaszak
Tamino | Aleksander Kunach / Emil Ławecki
Pamina | Ingrida Gápová / Aleksandra Szmyd
Speaker of the temple | Piotr Nowacki / Dariusz Górski
Papageno | Artur Janda / Paweł Trojak
Papagena | Aleksandra Żakiewicz / Katarzyna Drelich
Monostatos | Łukasz Wroński / Piotr Maciejowski
I Lady | Sylwia Krzysiek /Marzanna Rudnicka
II Lady | Dominika Kościelniak / Joanna Lalek
III Lady | Małgorzata Kustosik / Katarzyna Nowosad
I Boy | Ewelina Osowska
II Boy | Tomasz Raczkiewicz
III Boy | Jan Jakub Monowid
I Priest | Tomasz Grygo
II Priest | Grzegorz Żołyniak / Piotr Pieron
Period Instrument Orchestra of the Warszawska Opera Kameralna
Musicae Antiquae Collegium Varsoviense
Vocal Ensemble of the Warszawska Opera Kameralna
Chorus Master |Krzysztof Kusiel-Moroz
The Magic Flute is considered one of the most outstanding Mozart stage masterpieces. The opera was created in the year of Mozart’s death, however its scenic life continues to last from the end of the 18th century. Its popularity dominated even such masterpieces as The Marriage of Figaro or Don Giovanni.
Therefore, what is so magical about this special piece? Is it the masonic symbolism contained in a somewhat exuberant libretto or perhaps a particularly fantastic vision of the unreal world that is everywhere and nowhere? The director’s vision of Giovanni Castellani goes towards the second interpretation, since he tries to exploit the entire potential of absolute fantasy and the most brilliant music masterfully incorporated into this bizarre libretto.
Mozart surprises here with a variety of forms: choirs, arias, coloratura, songs, great ensembles and finals. The composer also shows a unique catalogue of characters, some of which are balancing on the line between semi-buffs (Papageno, Papagena, Monostatos), and others are directly taken from the opera series (Queen of the Night – evil witch, Sarastro – good priest, Pamina and Tamino – couple lovers, choirs of priests). There are also completely new elements unknown from previous operatic conventions – Armoured Men, Three Boys, Three Ladies. Mozart have given a special musical aura to all those individuals, and each character has its own unique features of musical language. The set design by Olbiński describes this oneiric-surrealist world literally full of fantasies, associations and allusions, but at the same time friendly to the viewer. Marcin Łobacz’s costumes enhance the animal-fairy associations, giving the whole a unique aesthetic dimension.
The new staging of The Magic Flute is an extension of the theatre tradition of the Warszawska Opera Kameralna, its creative continuation with the simultaneous application of new possibilities offered by today’s technology.
LIBRETTO
ACT I
Prince Tamino tries to escape from a giant serpent. When he calls for help, he loses consciousness. Then, the Three Ladies of the Queen of the Night appear, kill the serpent, and admire the unconscious young man. After waking up, the Prince meets a strange individual dressed in bird feathers, named Papageno. Papageno explains to Tamino that he is a bird-catcher who works for the Queen of the Night and claims that he killed the serpent. The Three Ladies pronounce him a liar and put a padlock over his mouth as punishment. The Ladies give the Prince a portrait of the beautiful Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night. Tamino cannot hide his fascination with the young girl. The Queen of the Night appears amidst thunder and lightning. Devastated, she begs Tamino to free her daughter from the hands of the demon Sarastro. The Ladies want Papageno to help the Prince in this mission. Tamino receives a magic flute as a gift, and Papageno is given magic bells. They both are about to take the path indicated by the Three Genii.
At Sarastro’s palace, Pamina tries to escape from her persecutors but is captured by the black Monostatos, Sarastro’s slave master. Monostatos encounters Papageno, who has managed to slip into the palace. The bird-catcher tells Pamina about the Prince who will come to rescue her. Tamino stands in front of the entrance to three temples: Wisdom, Reason, and Nature. He tries to enter the temple and learns from a priest that Sarastro knew well what he was doing by kidnapping Pamina. Tamino plays the magic flute to test its power: wild animals become gentle like lambs. Monostatos and his men capture Pamina and Papageno. However, the sound of the magic bells makes the captors dance, and they disappear. Sarastro arrives with his retinue. Pamina falls to her knees before him. Sarastro, however, is not a demon as the Queen of the Night had portrayed him, but a benevolent high priest of the Temple of the Sun. Monostatos ushers Tamino into Sarastro’s presence and is punished for this. The Prince learns that, to win Pamina, he must overcome a series of trials. The choir proclaims the wisdom of the high priest.
ACT II
March of the priests. Sarastro tells the priests they must fight the Queen of the Night and unite Tamino with Pamina. The priests praise Tamino and take him and Papageno into the trials. Papageno hesitates but is promised that he will win a future wife. The first trial is silence. The Queen of the Night appears to her daughter Pamina. Sarastro comforts the desperate Pamina. The priests leave Tamino and Papageno in an isolated place where they suffer hunger and thirst. Tamino remains silent while Papageno chats with an old woman in rags who claims to be Papagena. Thunder and lightning remind Papageno to be silent. The Three Genii bring food and drinks to the young men. Pamina appears and tries to talk to the Prince, but he does not answer her. The unhappy girl suspects that Tamino no longer loves her. The priests lead the young men further. Sarastro announces to the Prince that he must now undergo the test of parting. Papageno tries to leave the palace. A priest stops him and asks if he has any wishes. Papageno asks for wine. The old woman appears and forces Papageno to pledge allegiance to her, then throws off her rags, revealing the beautiful and young Papagena. Papageno wants to embrace her, but a priest appears and takes the girl away. The bird-catcher curses his fate.
Pamina, devastated because she believes she has lost Tamino’s love, tries to stab herself with a dagger. The Three Genii save her and reassure her of Tamino’s love. Fire and water tests await Tamino. With Pamina’s help and the protection of the magic flute’s music, the Prince passes the trials. Papageno searches in vain for his Papagena. Desperate, he considers suicide, but the Three Genii remind him of the power of the magic bells. Papagena appears at their sound. The happy couple plans their future and dreams of the many children they will have together.
The traitor Monostatos, along with the Queen of the Night and the Three Ladies, try to break into the temple under the cover of night. Sarastro stands at the altar, with Tamino and Pamina before him and priests on both sides. The Three Genii hold flowers. Sarastro preaches: The rays of the sun triumph over the night. The choir sings: Glory to the hidden ones!