Mozart - Die Zauberflote - Chor und Orchester der Oper Zurich (Nikolaus Harnoncourt) [2DVD Set] (2007) {Deutsche Grammophon}

This latest European re-imagining of a classic opera, directed by Martin Kusej and featuring the Chor und Orchester der Oper Zurich conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt, is a splendid performance that was taped from a live television broadcast. Director Kusej, in the 45 minute bonus behind the scenes film on disc one, complains of "fuddy-duddy performances of opera, such as directed by Zeffirelli." Ouch! His intention to avoid such old-style productions is successful. The set represents a combination of a labyrinth and a modern building lobby. It rotates on the stage while cleverly designed moveable walls constantly produce new shapes so that no architectural space duplicates any other. Props are primarily light industrial and are inventively used. Costumes are modern formal and casualware. It is all deftly done with such a creative flare that it seems to highlight Mozart's glorious music in a magical way. This astute production feels completely organic.

Mozart was already ill when The Magic Flute was produced in October 1791. His final opera is really a singspiel or song play, with spoken rather than sung dialog. The libretto, such as it is, was written by Emanuel Schikaneder, Mozart's friend and fellow Freemason. He is variously described as an actor, a theatrical entrepreneur and a vaudvillian. Quite a resume! His libretto would have disappeared from history if not for the fact that its score was written by music's most universal genius. The plot involves some Masonic symbolism, some low key magic, a few special effects and lots of low comedy. But mostly it is a paean to conjugal love. I confess that I've never quite understood this strange and confusing libretto, but the music is a paradigm of serene, unearthly beauty. A mere six weeks before his death, Mozart was once again reinventing his art: creating a fusion of Bachian counterpoint with childlike simplicity, the result hinting at the sacred music he might have produced had he lived to be Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna.

The performances are superb, with splendid singing from the entire cast. The acting is equally exemplary: Ruben Drole as Papageno has an especially apt name for he is often both engagingly funny and touching in a breakout performance. When we first meet him he is trapped in a large bird cage, his sports jacket covered in bird droppings. Matti Salminen offers solemnity and grace as Sarastro. Elena Mosuc is a fine Queen of the Night. Julia Kleiter as a somewhat bewildered Pamina wears a wedding dress for the entire opera, which gets wearisome after a while but she's a trooper, never allowing her performance to suffer. Christoph Strehl is a rather bland but stoic Tamino, the weakest performance in what is a sterling young cast.

Nikolaus Harnoncourt, famous for his trailblazing period performances on authentic instruments, leads an orchestra utilizing modern ones. Nevertheless, he manages to remove everything that is musically unnecessary and prosaic, leaving only pristine clarity behind. His many years of experience have so refined his technique that he can make even modern instruments sound authentic in this music. It is a performance in which both singers and instrumentalists often approach perfection while providing moments of such subtle beauty that Mozart would have have nodded in silent approbation. Harnoncourt is the ultimate star of this Magic Flute and he receives the loudest and longest ovation from an appreciative audience. The film was recorded in high-definition and looks it. Sound in both PCM stereo and DTS 5.0 is beautifully lifelike. The strings have a soft, silky sheen while the winds sound especially lovely, with their crystalline intonation, so perfect for Mozart. The two discs run for 226 minutes, including the 45 minute bonus film.

Here, at last, is an example of updating an opera using imagination and skill. That's rare, given the latest trend of shocking an audience into submission. I enjoyed this brilliantly conceived and executed performance, and will revisit it often. Strongly recommended.