The Aix-en-Provence Festival has revived Simon
McBurney’s 2014 quirky and even perverse production of The Magic Flute with some
of the same cast. The revival has its admirers judging by the standing ovation
it received and some of its doubting Thomas’s about its virtues.
This is a no-magic Magic Flute and the
countless gimmicks and tricks that McBurney and designer Michael Levine bring
to their vision of the singspiel, though
interesting and imaginative at times, do nothing to increase one’s enjoyment of
the work.
This is an aggressively black and white production.
Papageno and Papagena wear colourful costumes but after that there is very
little colour.
Kathryn Lewek as
the Queen of the Night), Mari Eriksmoen as Pamina and Three Ladies
© Pascal Victor
| artcompress
McBurney is enamored of video projections and
with video man Finn Ross there is no end to its use. There are two cubicles on
each side of the stage and we see a person writing the title of the opera, directional
arrows and even a sketch of the monster that threatens Tamino with chalk on a
blackboard which is then projected on the back of the stage. The fire, the
water and other tasks that Tamino must endure are also projected on video. A
bit too much of a good thing and some of it really unnecessary.
McBurney believes in orchestra participation in
the performance and Papageno is seen among the musicians. Papageno needs birds
thanks to his profession so he is provided with a dozen or so actors who flit
pieces of paper around him which we take to be birds. We don’t. Even members of
the orchestra get into the act.
A prominent item of the staging is a large
platform that is suspended from above and can be raised, lowered and slanted.
It proves quite useful for many of the staging effects. The whole business, and
there is lots of it, makes the production look artificial, lifeless and simply
confusing. What is the point of all that.
The singing and acting were a mixed bag as
well. Soprano Mari Eriksmoen brought in the best performance as Pamina. Dressed
in a simple white dress and barefoot, the pretty Norwegian, with her satin and mellifluous
voice, was a moving and thoroughly enjoyable princess.
Tenor Stanislas de Barbeyrac sang correctly but
gave the impression that he was not quite engaged by the role. He sings his
first aria where he declares his love for Pamina wearing a very unprincely
T-shirt and underwear and shows very little passion throughout. He enters
looking like a mountain hiker and the Three Women undress him.
Bass Dimitry Ivashchenko as Sarastro showed
fine sonority in his middle range but he had difficulty with his low notes. On
several occasions he came close to being drowned out by the orchestra.
Papageno the bird catcher is really a mountain
hiker who carries a backpack and, for reasons unknown, a stepladder. Baritone
Thomas Oliemans manages to sing well and be funny despite the production.
Soprano Kathryn Lewek plays the Queen of the
Night, in a manner of speaking. She looks like a bag lady who should be sitting
in the Cours Mirabeau with an empty coffee cup in front of her and with or
without her wheelchair and cane. But ignore her accoutrements and listen to that
marvelous voice that belts out her two arias with stupendous energy.
Her partner, so to speak, Monostatos, is
equally well-costumed but Bengt-Ola Morgny sings well and does a fine job as
the dirty old man.
The choir and orchestra of the Ensemble Pygmalion
conducted by Raphael Pichon does exemplary work with the score and shows that
its players have a sense of humour.
This production
represents McBurney’s personal vision of the opera which some peoplefind
entertaining and invigorating. He owes nothing to librettist Emmanuel
Schikaneder who produced a
popular work to please the masses. We want directors to give us something
different. That means that many of us may not be thrilled with what we get.
__________
The Magic
Flute by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart opened on July 6 and will be performed a total of eight times until July 24, 2018 on various dates at
the Théâtre de l’Archevêché, Aix-en-Provence, France. www.festival-aix.com
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