The Opera

Recently I went to my very first opera.  Wait, let me back up a bit...

The overture to the Magic Flute is on one of the Mozart compilation cd's that I own.  I always liked it, so a few years ago I had the bright idea to get a recording of the whole opera.  It's perfect study / work music, since all the lyrics are in German so I can't get distracted trying to sing along.  And, it's about two and a half hours long - perfect for a study session.  Anyway, I wound up listening to it a lot in grad school and I grew to really enjoy it.  So I started checking the Philly Opera schedule from time to time, hoping they'd do a production.

Finally, this year, they did.  I pretty much had to go (even though the tickets were more expensive than I'd expected).  I didn't have anyone to go with, but that's ok.  I got dolled up, took the train into town, and found my seat at the Academy of Music.

Quick sidetrack: the Academy is a beautiful building, with wonderful acoustics.  There's a newer Performing Arts Center (the Kimmel) just down the street, and don't get me wrong, the Kimmel Center is very nice, but - the Academy is sort of what I picture when I think of going to the theatre.  Maybe it's because, when I was young, my mom took me to see the Nutcracker there.  Maybe it's the ornate decorations, the gilded instruments in relief lining the balcony, the painted ceiling murals, the chandelier.  Maybe it's the gaslight lamps on the exterior.

I'll admit I was a little nervous before the show started.  Opera has always had a veneer of the hoity-toity, and I was afraid it'd be too stuffy for me.  I needn't have worried.  "The Magic Flute" is a fairytale, about a prince who must pass several trials in order to prove himself and win the heart of the princess.  It's also a comedy, and this production really played up the comedic elements of the story.  The second male lead (Papageno) was hysterical.  He was such a good comic actor that at times I'd forget what a wonderful bass voice he had - until he sang his next aria.  The three "ladies" were also pitch-perfect (pun totally intended).  Their voices blended beautifully, and they also played up the comedy, causing more than a few guffaws from the audience.

The set was also interesting.  It was designed as a labyrinth through which the characters travelled as they moved from trial to trial.  The pieces of "hedge" could be moved and reorganized to provide a variety of courtyards and corridors in the labyrinth; at one point the three "spirit guides" even appeared on top of the hedge and sang down to the princess wandering below them.

But my favorite was undoubtedly the Queen of the Night.  She's the villainess, and she doesn't appear much - just one aria in each act, and a few minutes to be banished at the end.  However, her two arias are the highlight of the vocal pieces (in my opinion).  Her aria in the second act is my favorite piece in the opera.  It's also incredibly difficult.  As she stepped onstage to begin it, I had a moment of concern.  Years ago, when I bought the cd, I'd done some research on which recording was considered the "best."  So I was used to listening to this song being spot-on, each note perfectly placed and supported.  Who knows how many takes they did in the recording studio to get that right?  Would I be disappointed by a live version?

Yeah, that was unnecessary.  She hit it out of the park.  It was absolutely mesmerizing.  I'd overheard two gentlemen sitting behind me when they were discussing the opera during intermission, and heard enough to realize that they come to the opera with some regularity.  When the Queen of the Night finished her aria, I heard a soft "Wow" from behind me.  And, yes, she was that good.

I'll admit that I don't know when I'll go to the opera again.  Yes, I had a spectacular time, but I was also very familiar with the music.  And, let's face it, The Magic Flute is an incredibly accessible piece of theatre.  I even saw some teenage girls in the audience - not something I necessarily expected to see.  But, having seen my first opera, I'm no longer intimidated by the concept.  It can be a really fun night of theatre - even when sung in German, performing music that was written 222 years ago.