Glenn Gould College Spring Opera — Mozart: Die Zauberflöte. Elias Theocharidis (Tamino), Olivia Morton (Pamina), Gennady Grebenchuk (Papageno), McKenzie Warriner (Queen of the Evening), Matthew Li (Sarastro), Jeffrey Liu (Monostatos), Julia Kennific (Papagena), Emma Pennell (First Girl), Charlotte Anderson (Second Girl), Jessica Lyublinsky (Third Girl), Nora Jane Montana (First Spirit), Meghan Linnington (Second Spirit), Marie Conceiçao (Third Spirit), Nicholas Kluftinger (First Armed Guard), Tyler Prince (Second Armed Guard) / Allison Grant, Director / Royal Conservatory Orchestra, Jennifer Tung, conductor. Koerner Corridor, March 19, 2025. Repeats on March 21; tickets right here.
Following the vastly profitable, sold-out performances final November of its double-bill operatic providing of L’enfant et les sortilèges and L’enfant prodigue, the Glenn Gould College Spring Opera presently on supply is the beloved Mozart masterpiece, Die Zauberflöte. It’s restricted to solely two performances. It opened on March 19, with the final present on March 21.
As an alternative of staging it within the intimate, 237-seat Mazzoleni Corridor, which was the venue for the double-bill final November, Die Zauberflöte is staged within the extra spacious, 1,135-seat Koerner Corridor, with its state-of-the-art technical gear, permitting for a extra elaborate manufacturing. I’m instructed that each performances are fully bought out, though it doesn’t harm to contact the field workplace for attainable returns.
It ought to come as no shock that this Mozart opera could be a scorching ticket. In response to the Operabase web site, Die Zauberflöte is the second hottest opera on the earth primarily based on the variety of performances, which stands at 21,352 worldwide since 1996. It beats out such warhorses as Carmen (19,405) and La Boheme (18,948), in third and fourth place respectively.
On condition that Koerner Corridor just isn’t an opera home, substantial diversifications within the staging are wanted. As an alternative of mounted units, designer Kim Sue Bartnik makes use of small props to be carried on and off stage by supernumeraries. Very efficient are the big clean canvases upstage, on which numerous pictures are projected in line with the dramatic conditions. The lighting by Jason Hand and using recorded sound are very efficient in creating the fitting environment. I joked that the thunder and lightning as executed on opening evening have been startling sufficient to strike worry of God into the hearts of the viewers!
The Efficiency
Die Zauberflöte requires an enormous solid, and the GGS singers have been totally as much as the duty. The principals all have fantastic voices, to make sure. As Tamino, Elias Theocharidis’s giant spinto tenor and heart-on-sleeve appearing made a robust impression. Soprano Olivia Morton (Pamina) sang a ravishing “Ach, ich fühl’s,” marked by silvery tone and wonderful excessive piano. Additionally glorious was coloratura soprano McKenzie Warriner who stratospheric high notes in “Der Hölle Rache” earned her the largest ovation of the night.
As Papageno, baritone Gennady Grebenchuk injected the requisite humour into the proceedings, and his scene with Papagena (soprano Julia Kennific) was enjoyable. Bass Matthew Li was a youthful sounding Sarastro, who additionally occurred to have essentially the most eye-catching costume of the night, designed by Alex Amini.
The opera was sung in German, with some cuts and modifications to the voluminous spoken dialogue. Nevertheless, what remained was nonetheless substantial for a non-German talking solid. Kudos to the German diction coach.
Remaining Ideas
By all of it, the singers have been fantastically supported by the wonderful RCM Orchestra below debuting conductor Jennifer Tung. Die Zauberflöte is a posh present to stage, particularly in the case of scenes just like the trials by fireplace and water, given the bodily limitations of Koerner Corridor.
Director Allison Grant did it in addition to might be anticipated. Furthermore, the dearth of a refrain meant that the scenes involving Sarastro, the temple, and all of the inherent Masonic references lacked the requisite solemnity.
I used to be additionally puzzled by the stage motion within the first couple of minutes of the overture, which truthfully left me scratching my head. It was solely afterwards once I learn the director’s notes that I noticed it was an obscure reference to the theme of household dysfunction linking all three GGS operas this 12 months. Properly, I ponder what number of within the viewers figured this one out! By no means thoughts, for me the best pleasure of Die Zauberflöte is within the music, and we viewers members bought it in spades.
All in all, a really satisfying night on the opera.
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Joseph So is Professor Emeritus at Trent College and Affiliate Editor of Opera Canada.He’s additionally a long-time contributor to La Scena Musicale and Opera (London, UK). His curiosity in music journalism focuses on voice, opera in addition to symphonic and piano repertoires. He seems repeatedly as a panel member of the Massive COC Podcast.He has co-edited a guide, Opera in a Multicultural World: Coloniality, Tradition, Efficiency, printed by Routledge (Taylor & Francis Group).
