Die Zauberflöte

Imaginative and charming, this 2012 Dutch National Opera production of Mozart's magical 1791 masterpiece is not traditional but almost always works. Maximilian Schmitt is physically a bit beefy but sings well as Tamino, the prince recruited by the Queen of the Night—portrayed as a decrepit old woman by Íride Martínez (who hits her high notes expertly)—to rescue her daughter Pamina (lovely Christina Landshamer) from the clutches of Sarastro (Brindley Sherratt, cutting a noble figure while also flawlessly managing his low notes). Sarastro turns out to be the good guy, introducing Tamino and Pamina to enlightenment while defeating the vengeful queen. Their idealistic love is contrasted with the more earthy desires of birdcatcher Papageno (exuberant Thomas Oliemans), who is finally rewarded with his Papagena (engaging Nina Lejderman). The soloists receive nimble support from the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra under Marc Albrecht, who miscalculates only by inserting a few pauses that hinder the music's momentum. Simon McBurney's staging sports some missteps—modernizing costumes and other details (like a gun for Papageno's suicide attempt) and eroticizing the ladies-in-waiting, who undress Tamino in the first scene—but mostly the low-tech effects here (such as having supernumeraries flick pages to simulate flying birds) and the decision to have the singers interact with orchestra and audience come off as nicely amusing. Presented in DTS 5.1 and Dolby Digital stereo on DVD, and DTS-HD 5.1 and LPCM stereo on Blu-ray, extras include a behind-the-scenes featurette, and a cast gallery. Highly recommended. (F. Swietek)