Die Zauberflöte

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

June 03, 2023

This event occurred as part of the 22/23 Arts On Screen season. This is an archived view.

A daring new production of the timeless classic.

22/23 Arts On Screen

One of opera's most beloved works receives its first new Met staging in 19 years—a daring vision by renowned English director Simon McBurney that The Wall Street Journal declared "the best production I've ever witnessed of Mozart's opera." Nathalie Stutzmann conducts the Met Orchestra, with the pit raised to make the musicians visible to the audience and allow interaction with the cast. In his Met-debut staging, McBurney lets loose a volley of theatrical flourishes, incorporating projections, sound effects and acrobatics to match the spectacle and drama of Mozart's fable. The brilliant cast includes soprano Erin Morley as Pamina, tenor Lawrence Brownlee as Tamino, baritone Thomas Oliemans in his Met debut as Papageno, soprano Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night and bass Stephen Milling as Sarastro.

Learn more about the performance >

The Program

The Hop Presents

Met Opera in HD
Die Zauberflöte
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Saturday, June 3, 1 pm
Loew Auditorium • Dartmouth College • 2023

Duration: 3 hours, 20 minutes including intermission

Free tickets for Dartmouth students to attend The Met: Live in HD are supported by a gift from Cynthia and Jeffrey Manocherian P’15, ’18

Cast

Pamina ............................... Erin Morley
Queen of the Night ............................... Kathryn Lewek
Tamino ............................... Lawrence Brownlee
Monostatos ............................... Brenton Ryan
Papageno ............................... Thomas Oliemans
Speaker ............................... Harold Wilson
Sarastro ............................... Stephen Milling
Conductor ............................... Nathalie Stutzmann
Production and Choreography ............................... Simon McBurney
Set Designer ............................... Michael Levine
Costume Designer ............................... Nicky Gillibrand
Lighting Designer ............................... Jean Kalman
Projection Designer ............................... Finn Ross
Sound Designer ............................... Gareth Fry
Live in HD Director ............................... Gary Halvorson
Live in HD Host ............................... Ben Bliss

Synopsis

ACT I
A mythical land. Prince Tamino enters pursued by a terrible serpent, but three servants of the Queen of the Night save him. The bird catcher Papageno appears, claiming he killed the serpent. The servants padlock Papageno’s mouth, then give Tamino a portrait of the Queen’s daughter, Pamina, who they say is being held prisoner by the evil Sarastro. The Queen appears and asks Tamino to rescue Pamina. The ladies offer a magic flute to Tamino, magic silver bells to Papageno, and three spirits to guide the men on their journey.

In Sarastro’s palace, the slave Monostatos pursues Pamina, but he is frightened away when Papageno arrives. The bird catcher tells Pamina that Tamino loves her and is on his way to save her. In the temple, Tamino learns that it is the Queen who is evil, not Sarastro. Monostatos and his men chase Papageno and Pamina, but the sound of the magic bells renders them helpless. Pamina and Tamino are enchanted with each other, but soon the priests separate them to maintain their purity.

Intermission (30 Minutes)

ACT II
Within the temple’s inner sanctum, Sarastro invites Tamino and Papageno to participate in an initiation ritual and swears them to secrecy. The Queen’s servants appear and have no trouble derailing Papageno from his course of virtue, but Tamino remains firm.

In a garden courtyard, Monostatos tries to kiss the sleeping Pamina, but hides when the Queen of the Night arrives and orders her to murder Sarastro. When Monostatos finds Pamina alone in tears, he tries to force himself upon her, but Sarastro intervenes. Inside the temple, Papageno flirts with an old lady, who vanishes when he asks for her name. But Tamino remains steadfast to his vow of silence, even to the point of breaking Pamina’s heart. Papageno, eliminated from the trials, pleads for a wife and settles for the old lady. When he promises to be faithful to her, she turns into a maiden named Papagena, then disappears again.

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