I drove from Oregon to New Jersey in four days and not just to see a new opera. I also have to get back to work.
The drive was the vehicular equivalent of Rimsky Korsakov’s “Flight of the Bumblebee.” I arrive 16 hours before the first day with my tail between my legs having failed in all my goals and with that my sabbatical is officially over.
I do feel recharged, but it feels odd being back because public school is a paradigm of stability, and everything in my life feels presently discombobulated. I begin the year staying with childhood friends near to where I work. I need familiarity and safety, and along with lasagna and good conversation, those are Bill and Perla’s specialty.
I’m pretty excited for this production of Die zauberflote. The story has a silent film aesthetic, particularly from Nosferatu.
Seeing the Queen of the Night as a spider suspended above stage and hitting the high note of F6 while projected daggers went flying was stunning.
I drove 6,000 miles across plains and over mountains to rekindle my passion for opera. Now back on the East Coast how could I go wrong than to begin again with Mozart.
It’s good to be back.
So what is Die zauberflote all about? the character Tamino is rescued from a dragon by three ladies who work for the Queen of the Night. Meanwhile her daughter Pamina is being held captive by Sarastro. The queen of the night gives Tamino a magical item to help rescue Pamina, who he now loves after seeing her portrait. The subplot romance between Tamino’s companion Papageno and Papagena is one of the most delightful courtships in all the arts. The music is glass shattering and the plot and characters are full of mystery set in a magical world of ritual.
Listen for:
The queen of the nights aria, Der Hölle Rache’ where she vows to disown her daughter if she doesn’t kill Sarastro.
The duet between Papageno and Papagena.
The flute, of course.
Notes on the production
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Composer……………………….Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Tamino…………………………… Ben Bliss
Pamina…………………………… Rachel Sterrenberg
Queen of the Night……………… Olga Pudova
Sarastro………………………….. Peixin Chen
Papageno……………………….. Jarrett Ott
Papagena……………………….. Ashley Robillard
Conductor………………………. David Charles Abell
Academy of Music
9/17/2017