By Jody Key – Managing Editor

Once again the Opera has created a larger than life production in their second offering of the season, THE MAGIC FLUTE.

This is a German opera with music by the infamous Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Liberetto by Emmanuel Schikameder. The opera is written in the style of Singspeil, which is a comic-style opera with diologue and singing–a late 1700 version of musical theater. This was the last of Mozart’s great Operas and premiered in September, 1791, two months before his death. The premise is influenced by both men’s interest in Freemasonry and is the fairy-tale story of Prince Tamino and his quest to rescue the daughter of the Queen of the Night. The daughter, Pamina, is being held by the high Priest, Sarastro. Tamino is in admiration of Sarastro’s high ideals, and he and Pamina join the Priest’s community, while the queen and her allies are vanquished. Tamino also has a comedic sidekick, a bird catcher named Papageno who goes with him on his quest. Tamino is given a flute with magical powers to help them get through the trials and tribulations and to ultimately enable them move towards an understanding of true love and happiness.

Once again Producer and Stage Director Tomer Zvulin along with Associate Director Ian Silverman have created a beautiful and imaginative way to tell this 200+ year old tale. In the tradition of masonic style, ATL Opera set the scene in what appears to be Egypt among the pyramids. In the spirit of weaving a tale set in a magical unknown land, they’ve partnered with the Center for Puppetry Arts and the characters of the dragon, birds, and other animals are portrayed by colorful and cuddly puppets. The set designed by David Higgins appears to be a nod to the Freemasons. A unit set made up of children’s toy blocks with light up symbols, it has a feel of ancient Egypt. The set acts as a pop-up book for the action, opening and closing in different areas for entrances and exits. There’s a huge snake that chases the hero, three children who appear in a hot air balloon, an enchanted garden, and lightening bolts that shatter the back wall for the Queen of the Night’s magical entrance. No only did C David Higgins design the set, he also designed the beautiful and imaginative costumes.

All of the technical elements of this show work together cohesively and beautifully. Kudos to the following: Projection Designer Nicholas Hussong, as most of us don’t speak German, the well- timed English Subtitles are very helpful to understand the story and action; Lightning Designer Thomas C Hase, illuminating the story with a magic touch; Wig and Makeup Designer Melanie Steele, creating a put-together look for all the characters; Conductor Arthur Fagan and Chorusmaster and Assistant Conductor Rolando Salazer along with the whole orchestra for their flawless musical interpretation.

Due to the Atlanta Opera’s status as one of the top 10 opera houses in the nation, we as patrons are given the privilege of seeing some of the best performers the world of opera has to offer. Our hero, Timino is portrayed by Santiago Ballerini, a Argentinian/Italian tenor and one of the leading tenors in the bel canto repertoire. He’s performed in North and South America, Canada, and Europe and we are elated to have him grace the stage for this performance. Rainelle Krause as The Queen of the Night is an impressive coloratura soprano, and her interpretation of the infamous aria is breathtaking. This is a signature role for her and she has performed at many opera houses worldwide. Mei Gui Zhang as Pamina is charming and a nice ying to Timino’s (Santiago Ballerini) yang. Like her counterparts, she has worked on stages world wide. 

I especially enjoyed Luke Sutliff’s humorous performance as Papageno. He along with Amanda Sheriff as Papagena played off each other in the infamous lighthearted duet and made the audience laugh and smile. If you saw La boheme, you’ll remember Luke in the role of Marcello. We’re glad he has joined the company once again. Amanda in her second year as an Atlanta Opera Studio Artist and executed her role with a beautiful voice and good comedic timing. 

Peixin Chen as Sarastro is making a very impressive debut to the ATL Opera. He has a rich and full bass voice and has recently played the same role on the Metropolitan Opera stage. Welcome to Atlanta Peixin! We hope to see you on the stage again in the future. 

The rest of the cast and ensemble did a remarkable job and a special nod goes out to the Puppeteers/Supernumeraries for adding to the magic of the performance. 

This opera is a treat for the whole family, and a good way to expose young children to this live performance genre. There is only one weekend with two performances left to see this show, so get your tickets at https://www.atlantaopera.org/ immediately!