Mozart's final opera, The Magic Flute, gets the Ingmar Bergman treatment in this 1975 film.
One of the most beautiful operas ever written, The Magic Flute is infused with Masonic symbolism and odd twists to the story - the people we think are good (Queen of the Night and the Three Ladies) aren't, and vice versa. Sarastro (Ulrik Cold) supposedly is holding the Queen's (Birgit Nordlin) daughter Pamina (Irma Urrila) captive, and the Queen, in a magnificent aria, implores Tamino (Joseph Kostlinger) to save her and promises her in marriage if he succeeds. There is also the birdcatcher, Papageno (Hakan Hagegard), whom he meets along the way, and three boys who serve as guides. The three boys are one of the best parts of the film.
Bergman sets up the production as a staged opera, and often focuses on a little girl in the audience and her reactions. I especially loved his use of an air balloon in several scenes - he also uses outdoor footage, particularly before Pamina's suicide attempt. And Bergman's ending, showing Papageno and Papagena, is wonderful.
Though this opera is beautifully realized by Bergman, I have seen and heard The Magic Flute (as well as sung it) too many times to have enjoyed most of the singing. Despite some of the magnificent voices to come out of Sweden, the casting here was based on age and physical correctness for the role. Hagegard, Kostlinger, and Urrila come off the best, but in the brutally difficult role of the Queen, Birgit Nordlin falls short - it's my understanding the high Fs were dubbed. The boys were wonderful. In the end, I much prefer to Gedda-Janowitz-Popp recording from years ago.
I once took a master class from the head of the Zurich Opera, who said that Americans are often too careful and precious with Mozart, when in fact, when The Magic Flute debuted, it was like Holiday on Ice! The music is so heavenly, the characters of Papageno and Papagena so accessible, that one can really believe it.
The Magic Flute, here done in Swedish, is musically a perfect opera, with the soaring "Dies Bildnis," the tremendous Queen of the Night arias, the soulful "Ach, Ich fuhls," the beautiful Pamina-Papageno duet, the attempted suicide scene with Pamina and the three boys, the delightful Papageno-Papageno duet, and the God-like intonings of Sarastro.
This is a great way to introduce opera to a novice, and a great opera with which to do it, despite all the layers in the story. Just listen to the music, and become a convert.
One of the most beautiful operas ever written, The Magic Flute is infused with Masonic symbolism and odd twists to the story - the people we think are good (Queen of the Night and the Three Ladies) aren't, and vice versa. Sarastro (Ulrik Cold) supposedly is holding the Queen's (Birgit Nordlin) daughter Pamina (Irma Urrila) captive, and the Queen, in a magnificent aria, implores Tamino (Joseph Kostlinger) to save her and promises her in marriage if he succeeds. There is also the birdcatcher, Papageno (Hakan Hagegard), whom he meets along the way, and three boys who serve as guides. The three boys are one of the best parts of the film.
Bergman sets up the production as a staged opera, and often focuses on a little girl in the audience and her reactions. I especially loved his use of an air balloon in several scenes - he also uses outdoor footage, particularly before Pamina's suicide attempt. And Bergman's ending, showing Papageno and Papagena, is wonderful.
Though this opera is beautifully realized by Bergman, I have seen and heard The Magic Flute (as well as sung it) too many times to have enjoyed most of the singing. Despite some of the magnificent voices to come out of Sweden, the casting here was based on age and physical correctness for the role. Hagegard, Kostlinger, and Urrila come off the best, but in the brutally difficult role of the Queen, Birgit Nordlin falls short - it's my understanding the high Fs were dubbed. The boys were wonderful. In the end, I much prefer to Gedda-Janowitz-Popp recording from years ago.
I once took a master class from the head of the Zurich Opera, who said that Americans are often too careful and precious with Mozart, when in fact, when The Magic Flute debuted, it was like Holiday on Ice! The music is so heavenly, the characters of Papageno and Papagena so accessible, that one can really believe it.
The Magic Flute, here done in Swedish, is musically a perfect opera, with the soaring "Dies Bildnis," the tremendous Queen of the Night arias, the soulful "Ach, Ich fuhls," the beautiful Pamina-Papageno duet, the attempted suicide scene with Pamina and the three boys, the delightful Papageno-Papageno duet, and the God-like intonings of Sarastro.
This is a great way to introduce opera to a novice, and a great opera with which to do it, despite all the layers in the story. Just listen to the music, and become a convert.