Tag Archives: Mozart

TGIF Cover Story – The Magic Flute

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From this week’s TGIF Cover Story by Steven Mark.

Great music has the ability to transcend time and space.

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” which premiered nearly 225 years ago, not only has music that remains beloved over those two-plus centuries, but it also has a story that seems to fit seamlessly into any era. It is simply a fairy tale, which Hawaii Opera Theatre’s production emphasizes with an art-inspired presentation that frames the story as a series of pictures.

“It’s very beautiful, with images that are from paintings of Magritte,” said director Allison Grant. “They kind of resonate with you. You may not know what it’s from, but you think, ‘Oh, I recognize that.'”

Rene Magritte was a 20th-century Belgian artist whose witty surrealist paintings placed everyday items in unusual contexts. His images commonly contain objects that suggest the idea of a portal to another world, such as doors, windows and picture frames. “It’s all about going through picture frames, going to different dimensions,” Grant said.

Given that setting, this staging of “The Magic Flute” has a handsome prince, Tamino, suddenly appearing in an alien land as if by magic, not knowing how or why he got there, where is immediately threatened by a monster.

Tamino gets a sidekick, the comical bird catcher Papageno, and a heroic task, saving the life of Pamina, the kidnapped daughter of the Queen of the Night, along with a magic flute that can tame the wildest threat with its soothing melodies.

Though Mozart originally set the story in Egypt, some say the story is a reference to the secret Masonic rituals — the hero Tamino must pass tests of fire and water to win Pamina — while others say it shows a misogynist streak in Mozart, as its women are portrayed as being deceitful or untrustworthy.

YOU DON’T need to make quantum leaps into a world of arcane Victorian values or exotic customs to enjoy “The Magic Flute,” though.

Antonio Figueroa, a French-Canadian tenor who has portrayed Tamino on a nationwide tour of one production and is making his HOT debut in the role here, sees “many layers” to the story. He doesn’t see the opera as critical of women.

“If you look at the music, all the most beautiful music is going to the women: Pamina, the Queen of the Night,” he said. “You have melody, which is feminine, and rhythm, which is masculine, and Mozart was a genius of melody.”

Figueroa sees Tamino as “the guy in search of truth.”

“For me this story is about the journey of everybody in life,” he said. “When you look at the guy who has the wider consciousness, you look to Tamino.”

RETURNING TO HOT after a hilarious turn in “The Mikado” two years ago is Curt Olds as Papageno, whom he calls the buffoonish “Everyman” of the opera.

“I’m sort of the character that the audience steps through,” Olds said. “There’s princes and princesses that they relate to, too, but having that presence of Papageno in the piece let’s them think, ‘I can see myself there, too’ in this journey of morals and reaching for those things we all desire in life.”

Olds especially enjoys the role of Papageno because it requires a lot of acting. “The Magic Flute” is a “Singspiel” (singing play) containing a lot of spoken dialogue.

The performance will be in English, so the audience can instantly connect with the wordplay, but that won’t make it any easier on the cast.

“It’s not the singing that makes you tired; it’s the spoken dialogue,” Olds said. “We tend to ‘fall off’ our breath when we’re speaking, because we speak in life, and you don’t support it the same way you do when you’re singing.”

“THE MAGIC FLUTE” offers plenty of enjoyable singing as well, particularly the vocal gymnastics of the famous Act 2 aria “Hell’s Vengeance,” in which the Queen of the Night implores her daughter to commit murder.

South Korean soprano So Young Park, who makes her HOT debut in this demanding role, says it requires stamina and preparation to consistently hit its top note, a high F.

“I have to plan it from the beginning; that’s just for one note,” she said, adding that the note helps her to feel the emotion of the moment, because “when you’re angry your voice gets higher.”

Park also has a major aria in Act 1, “Tremble not, my dear son,” which presents other challenges. “It starts with a really lyric, warm sound, and it turns to that evil side, with a lot of coloratura, so it’s kind of harder for me than the second aria.”

While the queen’s character has that ambiguity, there’s little of that with her co-conspirator, Monostatos, who is driven by lust but constrained by duty.

Portraying the role is Julius Ahn, who got his start in opera with the HOT chorus and now performs throughout the mainland and Canada. He too enjoys the acting aspect of the role, getting to be “the rascal out on stage.”

“He’s very primal. He’s driven by his desires, which he doesn’t get to have because he’s in a temple,” Ahn said. “He’s serving purity and light and fulfillment, and he doesn’t get to fulfill any of these primal desires he has as a man.”

HOT’s production was developed by Arizona Opera and was created by Daniel Rigazzi of the Metropolitan Opera. References to Magritte’s paintings are littered throughout the play, from costuming that ranges from steampunk to Elizabethan and props like the scooterlike skateboards that are ridden by three child-spirits who help Tamino and Papageno.

That all is in the service of a story and music so powerful that they’ve made “The Magic Flute” one of the most popular works in the opera repertoire.

“For me it’s more about the humanity of each character and how it touches us and how it touches the truth in each one of us,” Grant said. “But I really believe that the music really touches us and helps us find the divine within ourselves. It’s really uplifting music and it really hits the soul.”

Hawaii Opera Theatre Presents Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Hawaii Opera Theatre presents Mozart’s The Magic Flute

Honolulu, Hawaii – Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT), the Islands’ only opera company, kicks off the 2015-2016 Opera Season, Things Are Not As They Seem, with the beautiful melodies of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s eternally popular and entertaining tale of love, The Magic Flute, opens the season on October 9, 11 & 13. Metropolitan Opera Stage Director Daniel Rigazzi created this new and innovative production, which follows the love-struck Tamino on his quest to rescue the lovely princess, Pamina. Accompanied by an affable bird-catcher, Papageno, and possessing a mystical flute, Tamino must brave several trials, certain to reveal far more than simple matters of the heart. Set in a fictitious land, this fairy-tale sings of the classic struggle between good and evil, the power of music, and the pursuit of noble virtues. Originally debuting in September of 1791, Mozart’s final opera continues to captivate operagoers of all ages with its elegant balance of mystery and whimsy, and stunning music.

Making her HOT debut this season is rising star, So Young Park (Queen of the Night). Park will be ready for the role as she sung the role in this past Summer’s acclaimed production of the opera at the Glimmerglass Festival in New York.  Last season’s breakout stars Rachel Schutz (Papagena) and Curt Olds (Papageno), who delighted audiences in HOT’s modern take on The Mikado in 2014, return to lead a powerful cast that includes local residents Amy Mills, Maya Hoover, & Blythe Kelsey performing as The Three Ladies.

 

Ticket Information – Tickets start at $29 and for this production, HOT is offering tickets for children (up to 17) for just $20. To purchase tickets and redeem any specials, contact the HOT Box Office at (808) 596-7858. Tickets are also available online at HawaiiOpera.org and via Ticketmaster. 

Subscription details – Subscriptions are available only by contacting the HOT Box Office at (808) 596-7858. New Season Subscribers can receive a special Buy 2, Get 1 Free discount. 

The magic continues February 12, 14, & 16, 2016, with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benjamin Britten’s inventive interpretation of Shakespeare’s comic play & the season concludes with opera heavy hitter Giuseppe Verdi’s epic masterpiece Il Trovatore.

Enhance your operatic experience by attending a number of special HOT events.

HOT Opera Preview

Sept. 30, 2015 / 10:00am / Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Museum of Art

Attend a special Opera Preview at the Doris Duke Theatre, Honolulu Museum of Art, featuring background on the opera and a Q&A session with the cast and Artistic Team of The Magic Flute.

HOT Opera for Everyone (OFE)

Oct. 7, 2015 / 7:00pm / Blaisdell Concert Hall

Held during the Final Dress Rehearsal of each opera, this popular program offered by the HOT Education Team provides teachers & parents with the opportunity to share opera with their students & children for just $7.  For more information, contact the Hawaii Opera Theatre Education Department at (808) 596-7372.

HOT Tuesday

Oct. 13, 2015 / 5:30pm – 10:00pm / Honolulu Club & Blaisdell Concert Hall

Kick off the 2015-16 Opera Season by starting the evening off at the Honolulu Club for a party, which includes drinks, food, live music, and free parking, followed by a night at the opera during the final performance of The Magic Flute on Oct. 13, 2015 at the Blaisdell Concert Hall (7:00pm)!

All this fun and value for a deal that starts at $45!

Tickets online at HOTTUESDAY.eventbrite.com.

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Hawaii Opera Theatre announces the 2015-16 Opera Season

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Hawaii Opera Theatre (HOT), the Islands’ only major operatic company, announces the 2015-2016 Opera Season, themed Things Are Not As They Seem.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s eternally popular and entertaining tale of love, The Magic Flute, opens the season on October 9, 11 & 13. Metropolitan Opera Stage Director Daniel Rigazzi created this new and innovative production, which follows the love-struck Tamino on his quest to rescue the lovely princess, Pamina. Accompanied by an affable bird-catcher, Papageno, and possessing a mystical flute, Tamino must brave several trials, certain to reveal far more than simple matters of the heart. Set in a fictitious Egypt, this fairy-tale sings of the classic struggle between good and evil, the power of music, and the pursuit of noble virtues. Originally debuting in September of 1791, Mozart’s final opera continues to captivate operagoers of all ages with its elegant balance of mystery and whimsy, and stunning music.

The magic continues February 12, 14, & 16, 2016 with A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Benjamin Britten’s inventive interpretation of Shakespeare’s comic play. Set in dual locations, a mythical Athens, and an enchanted forest, this playful fantasy explores three very different realms – that of the fairies, of the nobility, and of the working class. When the Fairy King, Oberon, introduces a magic flower to the land, madness ensues as unlikely romances blossom. Originally debuting in June of 1960 at the Aldeburgh Festival, Britten gave new life to a charming classic. This production will be under the stage direction of HOT’s award-winning Artistic Director, Henry Akina, marking his 20th year with the company.

The season concludes with Giuseppe Verdi’s epic masterpiece Il Trovatore. Set in the Spanish Middle Ages, this is a complex story of love and revenge. When her mother is unjustly sentenced to death, Azucena knows only vengeance. Meanwhile, star-crossed lovers Manrico and Leonora defend their union in this exciting story of mistaken identity. Originally premiering in January of 1853 at the Teatro Apollo, this production is elevated by intense passion and drama.

HOT is known for bringing some of the world’s finest voices to the Honolulu.  Making her HOT debut this season, So Young Park stars as the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute. Park will be ready for the role as she stars in this Summer’s acclaimed Glimmerglass Festival’s production of the opera in New York.  Last season’s breakout stars Rachel Schutz (Papagena, The Magic Flute) and Kyle Erdos-Knapp (Flute, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) take the stage once again this season joined by Metropolitan opera talent and HOT favorites Jamie Offenbach (Theseus, A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Michael Chioldi (Count di Luna, Il Trovatore). Curt Olds (Papageno, The Magic Flute) and Victoria Livengood (Azucena, Il Trovatore) also make their return to Honolulu. Olds and Livengood thrilled audiences during 2014’s modern take on The Mikado. 

Join us on this enchanting journey through three fantastical tales. Subscribe today by contacting the HOT Box Office at (808) 596-7858.  From now through Oct. 1, 2015, New Season Subscribers can receive a special Buy 2, Get 1 Free discount.

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