The Magic Flute by Mozart, Minn (2023/2023), Immexxi minn Tatjana Gürbaca,, Surmast Direttur Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider, Opernhaus, Zurich, Switzerland

For all its popularity, Mozart’s Oper Die Zauberflöte has much more to offer than just fairy-tale wonder, catchy Singspiel tunes, and Viennese comedy. Tatjana Gürbaca, the director of our Zurich production, traces the deep dimensions of this enigmatic work, which oscillates between tangible theater for the Everyman and philosophical mystery play. She delves into the seriousness, the motifs surrounding death, and the existential questions about what it means to be human without forgetting the humor. To the spheres of the Queen of the Night she assigns a primal, anarchic world, juxtaposing it with Sarastro's priestly temple, itself a realm of clearly-defined order. Using scenic imagination, Gürbaca lets these worlds collide, as she combines unadulterated theatrical fun and costumed glee with deeply melancholic scenes. Throughout, she shows the female characters as strong women: The highly-emancipated Queen of the Night rebels against the ossified world of men. Pamina, hungry for love and life, confidently seeks her own passage in life, and the three ladies are bearded pirate brides. The young American soprano Lauren Snouffer, who appeared last season in the Zurich premiere of Stefan Wirth’s opera Girl with a Pearl Earring, will appear in this run of performances as Pamina. Ensemble member Thomas Erlank will bow as Tamino, and Ruben Drole returns to one of his signature roles as bird-catcher Papageno – with two real chickens at his side!