In Mozart's The Magic Flute by Opera Hong Kong singers outstanding, staging disappointing
Opera Hong Kong's new production of The Magic Flute is a conundrum: the singing, acting and music are first rate, but they are let down by a misjudged concept and designs.
Mozart's final opera, despite being written when he was suffering from illness and financial woes, is among his most joyous. The libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, a popular entertainer, offers a combination of low comedy and lofty sentiments.
He and Mozart were both Freemasons and the work has strong masonic elements, advocating universal brotherhood and calling for people to seek harmony and enlightenment.
The fairy-tale plot is far removed from the more realistic drama of other Mozart operas like Don Giovanni or The Marriage of Figaro.
The mysterious Queen of the Night promises the young hero, Tamino, the hand of her daughter Pamina if he rescues her from the mighty priest Sarastro, who has kidnapped her.
Setting out on this quest, the high-minded Tamino is contrasted with his companion, the bird-catcher Papageno, whose only interests are food, drink and finding a girlfriend.
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