Group listening of "The Magic Flute"? (Die Zauberf

[Jude]

Well - we have group readings, why not a group listening?

I'd also be very interested in people that don't normally listen opera taking part.

The Magic Flute was Mozart's last or second-last opera, depending on whether you go by composition date of first performance.

Technically, it's not an opera at all - it's actually a Singspiel, a German play with spoken dialogue and musical numbers. In fact, if you like modern-day musicals, there's no reason why you won't enjoy a good Singspiel!

So - anybody interested?

[truehobbit]

Well, I sure am!

(Even though I've been neglecting my Mozart-thread and just changed my sig to acknowledge the climax of the "fifth season" )

We could proceed similarly to the group read: one scene at a time, first time listeners could post their impressions and questions could be answered.

Just leaves the question of how to get a recording:
Well, I think public libraries should have CDs, but some wonderful recordings are available for not a lot of money, easily available via amazon, where you can mostly also get some sound clips to help you decide on a buy.
Examples:
the one I own, which I think is really good

Or an old recording for under ten bucks

Here's another old recording, but it's an excellent classic

OR - you could get the Ingmar Bergman movie version I mentioned in my Mozart thread and feed eyes and ears at the same time!

Just some ideas!

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

I'm a HUGE fan of Mozart and Die Zauberflöte in particular.

I own a CD recording of the Berlin Philarmonic directed by Karl Böhm featuring Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Papageno, and Roberta Peters as the Queen of the Night. The only thing I don't like about this recording is that it has adult women singing the Three Boys rather than actual boys.

In a box somewhere I have a recording on cassette tape featuring Peter Schreier as Tamino, Kurt Moll as Sarastro, and Luciana Serra as the Queen.

In another box in my garage I have the full score.

I used to own a copy of the Bergman film on VHS but the person I loaned it to disappeared never to be seen again.

I also have recordings on VHS I made off the TV for two different productions. I believe one is the New York City Opera with a traditional type production. The other is The Met, I believe, with the David Hockney production. I believe Tamino is played by Francisco Araiza in that one.

I saw a performance at the San Francisco Opera in the late '80s. I believe Tamino was played by Jerry Hadley. They used the Hockney production.

My last tidbit regarding The Magic Flute: I sang "Dies bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" on my senior recital at the university. I used it as my audition piece for the Sacramento Opera chorus as well. Hobbi, if you come out to San Francisco for the moot I'll sing it for you.

[truehobbit]

Oooh, a real fan!

(*subtly points to her Mozart-appreciation thread a bit further down in this forum* )

I own a CD recording of the Berlin Philarmonic directed by Karl Böhm featuring Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau as Papageno, and Roberta Peters as the Queen of the Night. The only thing I don't like about this recording is that it has adult women singing the Three Boys rather than actual boys.

I have that one on LP! (Unless Böhm/Wunderlich made another recording, I don't remember who else was on it. )

Hobbi, if you come out to San Francisco for the moot I'll sing it for you.

This moot is becoming more and more a must-not-miss event, if that's still possible!


So, you're a trained singer! Did you get the job in the chorus?

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Yes, I sang with the chorus for a couple of years. That was back in the early '90s.

The first opera I did with the Sacramento Opera was Johan Strauss' "The Gypsy Baron", which is actually an operetta. Like "Magic Flute", it is a singspiel. We sang in German but all the spoken dialogue was in English. There is a lot of chorus in Gypsy Baron, so we were on stage a lot. It was quite fun.

Other operas I did were Gounod's "Romeo et Juliette", and Verdi's "Un Ballo in Mascera". We had also been in rehearsals for "The Flying Dutchman" when it was cancelled. I recall doing a gala concert with them, too. We sang choruses from "Carmen" among others. Nothing from Magic Flute, though. I had been in rehearsals for Offenbach's "Tales of Hoffman" in January 1991 when I was activated for Desert Storm. (I was serving in the USAF Reserves at the time.) As a result I spent three months stationed at Ramstein Air Base.

I loved Germany, and found it quite beautiful. I was there from February to May '91, so we had snow while I was there. While I was in Germany I visited Heidelberg, Trier, Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremberg, Bayreuth, and Salzburg (Austria). I also visited Linderhof and Neuschwanstein (I believe we stayed in Garmisch). It appears that Bavaria had a lot of appeal for me, doesn't it?

While in Bayreuth I visited Richard Wagner's home. Wagner, his wife, and their pet dog are all buried in the backyard. We arrived too late to tour the Festspielhaus, but I did see the outside of it as well as the large busts of Wagner and Franz Liszt, who happened to be Wagner's father-in-law.

Salzburg, of course, is Mozart's birthplace, and 1991 happened to be the 200th anniversary of his death. I visited the house he was born in, as well as another house where he lived called "The Dancemaster's House" or something like that. They had a manuscript on display there. Like the Salieri character in "Amadeus" says, Mozart's handwriting is very small and meticulous. I believe the structure where he supposedly wrote Magic Flute is there, but we missed that while touring the city.

I looked for your Mozart forum earlier, Hobbi, but I must've missed it. I'll look more carefully this time.

[Sassafras]

Here you go, Tom.

The title is somewhat ambiguous, I suppose.

http://www.phpbber.com/phpbb/viewtopic. ... halloffire

We do actually discuss Mozart in it.



eta: I don't own a copy of the Magic Flute though once upon a time when I worked at Carnegie Hall, the opera was staged each day for a week for most of the NYC High Schools ... so I'm fairly well aqainted ...

[Cerin]

That sounds like fun! I will see if they have a copy at the library.

[Jude]

Whoa - lots of responses since I disappeared!

For inexpensive recordings, you can't go to far wrong with the Naxos label; they've issued a recording with singers that I've never heard of, but I'm sure are competent.

In the Naxos Historical series, there's an old one (1937) with Toscanini conducting, and the great Helge Roswaenge as Tamino and Alexander Kipnis as Sarastro. I'm sure it's wonderful.

My own version is the same as Hobby's, with my favourite tenor Fritz Wunderlich as Tamino. It's on LP as well.

For those who would like to participate, but can't get their hands on a recording, maybe someone with a CD version could email mp3's? I'm sure it's okay, as long as the recipient agrees to delete them afterwards.

Of course, for the above 1937 recording, the copyright has expired (by Canadian law anyway) so it would be all right to keep them.

P.S. Old Tom, do you happen to have a recording of yourself singing?

[Cerin]

Well, I've gotten ahold of my Dad's LP, which is the same classic one that hobby provided a link to.

I guess it wouldn't be quite as convenient to use an LP, but maybe the tracks will match up.

[truehobbit]

I loved Germany, and found it quite beautiful. I was there from February to May '91, so we had snow while I was there. While I was in Germany I visited Heidelberg, Trier, Munich, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Nuremberg, Bayreuth, and Salzburg (Austria). I also visited Linderhof and Neuschwanstein (I believe we stayed in Garmisch). It appears that Bavaria had a lot of appeal for me, doesn't it?

Although Rothenburg, Nuremberg and Bayreuth are all parts of Franken (Franconia), which is quite distinct from the rest of Bavaria (though legally a part of it).

I've been to the Mozart residences in Salzburg, too, but haven't seen the "Magic Flute Cabin" either. It's in the park of the Mozarteum.

It was lovely to read your account of your travel in Germany and Austria, Tom! Next time you come over here, don't forget to make a stop in Cologne!

Cerin - w00t for getting hold of a copy of the opera!
I think if we go by scenes it should be just as easy to follow on a record as on a CD.

I like Jude's idea, too.

I'm curious what English speakers do about the dialogue and text. Apparently there aren't too many recordings in English out there, and yet - even though the story is so strange - understanding the text is, I think, very important.

We are performing The Magic Flute at Uni tonight and tomorrow. It's a charity project with a director and students from the Music Academy. We get to sing the choir parts. Which means the women don't have much to do, we don't even need costumes or get on stage (suits me ), but the guys are a bit busier.
We only have a piano for an orchestra, but the opera is fully staged, and even though everything is minimalised, i.e. there's not much in backdrops or technology etc, it works quite well, I think.
I have listened to that piece more often than I can count, and yet, during the dress rehearsal yesterday, I sat grinning like an idiot at the cheerful scenes and chuckling at the jokes as if I was hearing it for the first time! It was utterly delightful, I thought.

We performed the same version two years ago, so as soon as I have time, I'll upload some pics, which I still have on my hard drive.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

It was lovely to read your account of your travel in Germany and Austria, Tom! Next time you come over here, don't forget to make a stop in Cologne!

I'd really enjoy that. (I'm not going to rejoin the Air Force with the hopes of going TDY there, though. )

Other than the famous gothic cathedral, I know nothing of Cologne. I've love to take a Rhine voyage like Siegfried in Götterdammerung. Of course the expense of getting to Germany is the big catch.

I listened to Magicflute on CD at work yesterday. I remembered another reason why I prefer my recording with Peter Schreier that I have on cassette tape. My Wünderlich edition lacks the spoken line, "O ewig gedunkelheit!" (I just love the way that sounds! )

I'm curious what English speakers do about the dialogue and text. Apparently there aren't too many recordings in English out there, and yet - even though the story is so strange - understanding the text is, I think, very important.

I completely agree. If you can't understand what they're saying you miss a lot of fun. There's lots of wonderful humor in Magic Flute.

I recall when I first received my recording on cassette tape I found all the dialogue rather tiresome. I found Papageno particularly annoying. I thought, "Just play the music!" However, once I sat down and listened to it while following along with the libretto, and began to understand all the dialog, I found my enjoyment of the complete work was greatly increased.

Well, it's time to don my blue jacket and yellow boots. I'm auditioning to perform in the Middle-earth Festival that's being held in April in nearby Vacaville. I'm going to sing a smidge, then recite "The Adventures of Tom Bombadil" (from memory) complete with characterizations.

[Cerin]

How nice, hobby. You'll be able to give us insights from the performer's point of view.

Regarding the dialogue and text, I would think there's hardly any point listening to an opera as just music. Surely there will be a mini-translation with whatever copy people have; it's just a matter of followng along with the translation as you go.

[Jude]

Just out of curiosity, are there more people that would participate if they could get their hands on a recording?

There's lots of wonderful humor in Magic Flute.

Warning: There's also lots of really, really bad humour in the Magic Flute - luckily, most of those lines get cut from modern performances.

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

When my wife and I were first married we would regularly go to the San Francisco Opera but those late night drives back to Sacramento at 2 AM got to be a bit of a drag, and the expense and all of it made it less attractive. However, after seeing Jersey Boys (a Tony Award-winning musical about Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons) here in Sacramento on Tuesday evening I got the idea to see what the San Francisco Opera was performing this season.

As luck would have it they are performing The Magic Flute and, in a bit of further luck, had tickets available for the matinee performance on Sunday, October 28th. Needless to say I purchased a pair of tickets faster than you can say "O ewig gedunkelheit!".

[truehobbit]

Cool, Tom! Let us know how it was when you've seen it!

[Old_Tom_Bombadil]

Nearly four years later...

Let's see, that performance at the San Francisco War Memorial Opera House. What was it like? Ah, now I remember!

We sat in the balcony where the sound is fantastic but the view of the stage not so much. However, I was introduced for the first time to 'Opera Vision'. "What's that?" you ask. Well, they have these drop down screens so that the audience in the nose bleed seats can actually see the performers faces. It was pretty cool, although not as good as sitting in the orchestra, which I've only done once that I can recall. (One of the ushers told me that the appearance of 'Opera Vision' was a rare treat not done for every performance.)

The tenor performing Tamino was Piotr Beczala. (You can see a performance of him singing 'Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön' on YouTube.) I thought he was very good; I know the audience really dug him. I thought the fellow playing Papageno, Christopher Maltman, was fantastic! (His acting in particular.) Monostatos looked like something from 'Alice in Wonderland'.

Ah, I found some highlights from the production: San Francisco Opera's Magic Flute.

Here's a review: The Magic Scarfe: “Zauberfloete” in San Francisco – October 13, 2007