Rating: 
Summary: Great production; fine opera introduction for a preteen
Review: .
This is a stunning visual production (with sets by David Hockney) that works in combination with an amusing tale to end in a light, cheery opera that pleases both adults and pre-teens. The singers are in great shape, and Papageno is a fine clown. If you know the opera, you won't be disappointed either: the arias are spot on. Subtitles are easily accessed.
Rating: 
Summary: Manfred Hemm as Papageno steals the spotlight
Review: A generally enjoyable DVD!Die Zauberflote, Mozart's last opera, performed on this disc by the Metropolitan Opera under the direction of James Levine. The cast features such stars as Kathleen Battle (Pamina), Fancisco Araiza (Tamino), Manfred Hemm (Papageno), Kurt Moll (Sarasto), and Luciana Serra as the Queen of the Night. Brian Large, who has vast experience with opera, directs this major work. This opera showcases the voice and acting skills of Kathleen Battle: she is brilliant, beautiful and with a voice that could only be described as a gift. Also noteworthy are the exquisite vocals by Luciana Serra as the Queen of the Night. However, it is Manfred Hemm as Papageno who steals the spotlight: from beginning to end, his funny interpretation of his character (accompanied by his great voice) carries this work to its fitting conclusion. The only negative comment (thus the loss of one star) was the surreal quality of the sets. Frankly, I thought they were ugly and if anything, detracted from an otherwise stellar performance. Also the overture featured, I felt, a little too much of James Levine: surely, some more shots of the orchestra could have been inserted here somewhere. While The Magic Flute is not my favorite opera by Mozart, this is, all things being considered, an enjoyable performance. Musically, I could honestly recommend this DVD.
Rating:
Summary: It couldn't be better!
Review: Artist David Hockney's set design adds a wonderful dimension to this production (which premiered in San Francisco with a mostly different cast). Given that "The Magic Flute" is a fairy tale, I found the imaginative and whimsical sets very pleasing. The cast is wonderful too. Kathleen Battle's Pamina is beautiful to behold and wonderful to listen to -- her voice is sweet, never shrill. Manfred Hemm as Papageno is just cute enough, nicely engaging and the perfect comic actor for this role. The stately Kurt Moll as Sarastro the high priest sings with the voice of God himself (as well he should in the aria 'Im diesen heilgen Hallen'). Luciana Serra simply IS the Queen of the Night. If I don't mention the others, it's for lack of space. James Levine's orchestra is topnotch (well, this is the Met, so what else would it be?). Subtitles make the "singspiel" libretto accessible to us English speakers. If you want a definitive version of "The Magic Flute," take my advice and buy this one!
Rating:
Summary: It couldn't be better!
Review: Artist David Hockney's set design adds a wonderful dimension to this production (which premiered in San Francisco with a mostly different cast). Given that "The Magic Flute" is a fairy tale, I found the imaginative and whimsical sets very pleasing. The cast is wonderful too. Kathleen Battle's Pamina is beautiful to behold and wonderful to listen to -- her voice is sweet, never shrill. Manfred Hemm as Papageno is just cute enough, nicely engaging and the perfect comic actor for this role. The stately Kurt Moll as Sarastro the high priest sings with the voice of God himself (as well he should in the aria 'Im diesen heilgen Hallen'). Luciana Serra simply IS the Queen of the Night. If I don't mention the others, it's for lack of space. James Levine's orchestra is topnotch (well, this is the Met, so what else would it be?). Subtitles make the "singspiel" libretto accessible to us English speakers. If you want a definitive version of "The Magic Flute," take my advice and buy this one!
Rating:
Summary: SORPRENDENTEMENTE HERMOSO
Review: Existen momentos mágicos en la vida. El poder ver este DVD es uno de ellos. Realmente, la actuación de todos y cada uno de los cantantes es asombrosamente adulta, creíble, astuta y dulce a un mismo tiempo. Sin dudarlo, me llevaría este DVD a una isla desierta.
Rating: 
Summary: Battle as Pamina
Review: For the person that cannot handle Battle, a black woman, as Pamina, I would like to state that opera is fantasy. People do not break out in spontaneous song at the drop of a hat. Therefore, it is easy to allow Battle to play the part of a character that was originally written for someone who is white. I don't think Mozart would object. What is important is her singing. Go back to Nature Shows if you can't deal with it.
Rating: 
Summary: Robin hood men in tights. Terrible flute
Review: Having just seen the Colin Davis production, this one does'nt come near it. The singing was terrible by Pappageno, and Tamino was a wet lettuce, as for the Queen of the night no feeling in her singing at all. Kathleen Battle was the only half decent singer. The accoustics were appalling. The costumes robin hood men in tights come to mind it gave us a good laugh. Pappagena what was that a munchkin. Do not buy this it is truly awful
Rating:
Summary: Money Disappointingly Spent
Review: Having read the rave reviews at Amazon, I spent much more money to purchase this DVD than I normally spend on DVDs. Disappointed and even angered by this DVD, I have given it a one-star rating primarily to tip the balance against a great number of reviews that, I now realize, were not from an especially demanding and/or musically trained audience.
I did not expect when buying the DVD that the orchestral performance would rival that of Klemperer. And so I was pleasantly surprised by Levine's spirited and tempo-appropriate--i.e., not in the current, anachronistic style of slow, overtly "romantic" Mozart conducting--if safe, conducting. The single star is not for Levine.
The sung performances and filming--the raison d'etre for a DVD recording, after all--are unacceptable for a DVD of this price and are what merit the low rating.
No personal offense, but Ariaza's Tamino is utterly uncharismatic, and his weak projection and faulty German diction never help. He is outshone by Papageno time and time again, and so the story becomes one in which Papageno is the protagonist, Tamino a relatively uninteresting subplot. Serra's Queen is uninspired, forced, and occasionally awkward. While the role is incredibly difficult, half of the battle for the singer must be not to let that difficulty color the performance and acting. Finally, Kurt Moll is sadly off-key and uncomfortable-looking in his roll as Sarastro. He comes across as being far-past prime.
As disappointing as the singing is, the filming is absolutely horrible. We are repeatedly and unfathomably given far-away shots that leave the singers looking like tiny, lifeless dolls. Never, ever do we feel that we are front and center. I felt like I had been given the worst tickets in the house, and I felt cheated.
I am a classically trained musician who has spent years studying Mozart and who holds a high place in the heavens for this opera, and I am a father of a two-year old who wishes to raise his child with a similar appreciation; I bought this DVD for both of us. If you, too, care deeply for this opera, and/or if you want to inspire your children with Mozart, I recommend that you look elsewhere. As I have not viewed any other Magic Flute DVDs, I regret that I cannot provide any recommendations. If you can recommend a better performance, I would be thankful to read your review here. In the meantime, back to reading reviews!
Rating:
Summary: My favourite flute ever....
Review: I am a long time magic flute lover, who has heard or owned most of the major recording out there. Recently I started buying Mozart opera DVD's as they were good to introduce friends to the operas. I first bought the recent Davis/Royal Opera version, but found it a very mixed bag, so I decided to go for this one since Kurt Moll was always my favorite Sarastro on record and he sings the part here (The Sarastro on Davis was very dissapointing). The bad news is that Moll is not in quite as good voice as he was in either his Solti or Davis CD audio only performances. The good news is that he is still magnificent, and this is the best Zauberflote I have ever heard! I never had much respect for James Levine as a conductor. Well that has changed. For reference, my favorite flute's ever were 1)Christie on Erato 2)Klemperer on EMI 3)Beecham on EMI. All had there problems, but Christie I found to be the overall best flute I knew including all cast, conducting, acting, and recording. And it has been replaced by a DVD flute! What I loved about this performance: First of all the conducting is very fine. It is very sharp and disciplined performance with precise singing (litte romantic sliding of notes) and there is, best of all, a wonderful sense of listening between all the singers and the orcherstra. It was obviously meticulously rehearsed for the 1991 Mozart celebrations. Mozart is the most difficult music to perform because you cannot get away with any emotional sloppiness, which means a luminous precision is always called for. This performance has this quality better than any other I know. There are some weak bits in my opinion however. A few of the arias really drag their feet in a failed attempt for the conductor and singer to find the right inspiration. As much as I like Moll, I find his arias too slowly sung, as well as the Isis and Osiris chorale. Fortunately they still are very effective due to Moll's maginificent voice and the solemn nature of the music itself. Also, occasionally things can be a bit brisk to let the music breathe properly. Overall however, I would give this flute the best marks for conducting. The singing/acting also has no weak links and many outstanding aspects. Ariaza's Tamino is merely good--at his best with the speaker, and worst in final union music with Pamina. After the first trial he slightly misses a key timing, which when sung perfectly (hear Blochwitz on Christie) is one of the most sublime moments in the score. Still, this is a good, solid Tamino--well acted, suitably noble if a bit too old. Overall:B- The three ladies are some of the most delightful I've heard. The 2nd has a slightly grating tone, but their timing, harmoninzing, and accuracy puts them right at the top. A- Papageno is solid if rather a bit overdone. Hemm has a lusty, solid bavarian baritone which suits the part in my opinion. It is not a radiantly beautiful voice (hear Keenlyside on Davis), but solid and powerful. Many papageno's have been more charming, but Hemm is still good, and very find in ensembles. B Serra's Queen is up near my all time favorites: Popp on Klemperer, Dessay on Christie, Damrau on Davis. She rather lacks warmth however, which puts her slightly below these on the first aria. The 2nd is as good as anyone. A- Battle's Pamina is my favorite ever. I feel it was this sort of voice Mozart had in mind for the part--a radiant soprano. Battle's interpretive insights have often left me cold before, but I find her Pamina just spot on. She plays it with a Tempest Miranda sort of innocence and wornder. I find this suits Pamina exactly. A+ Monostatos is also the best I have ever heard. Singers tend to make him rather bland for some reason, but this singer gives him oodles of dramatic force. A+ Boys are superb. Their trio with battle's Pamina is the finest I have known as well. One boy in particular has amazing power and accuracy. A Sarastro is Moll not in his best voice, but it is still Moll. A Choir. Big American heavy vibrato style. Not my cup of tea, but more importantly the choral pieces are sung with genuine Masonic fervor that makes them satisfying regardless. B Speaker. Andreas Schmidt is as fine here as I have ever heard him. Wonderful warmth and force. A This is getting too long! While there is much in this performance that I still can imagine better, in overall quality this is by some margin the best performance I have heard or seen of this opera. Certainly those who love particular parts more than others will find other performances superior (Tamino lovers for instance will always treasure Wunderlich/Bohm), but if you love every note of this opera as well as its Masonic themes, I would give this the top recommendation. O, A+ english subtitles too. Video,sound and production are good, though not the best in my opinion. Overall the production has a sort of childish artistic style to it, which I thought was fine. But then Im mostly here for the music.
Rating:
Summary: My favourite flute ever....
Review: I am a long time magic flute lover, who has heard or owned most of the major recording out there. Recently I started buying Mozart opera DVD's as they were good to introduce friends to the operas. I first bought the recent Davis/Royal Opera version, but found it a very mixed bag, so I decided to go for this one since Kurt Moll was always my favorite Sarastro on record and he sings the part here (The Sarastro on Davis was very dissapointing). The bad news is that Moll is not in quite as good voice as he was in either his Solti or Davis CD audio only performances. The good news is that he is still magnificent, and this is the best Zauberflote I have ever heard! I never had much respect for James Levine as a conductor. Well that has changed. For reference, my favorite flute's ever were 1)Christie on Erato 2)Klemperer on EMI 3)Beecham on EMI. All had there problems, but Christie I found to be the overall best flute I knew including all cast, conducting, acting, and recording. And it has been replaced by a DVD flute! What I loved about this performance: First of all the conducting is very fine. It is very sharp and disciplined performance with precise singing (litte romantic sliding of notes) and there is, best of all, a wonderful sense of listening between all the singers and the orcherstra. It was obviously meticulously rehearsed for the 1991 Mozart celebrations. Mozart is the most difficult music to perform because you cannot get away with any emotional sloppiness, which means a luminous precision is always called for. This performance has this quality better than any other I know. There are some weak bits in my opinion however. A few of the arias really drag their feet in a failed attempt for the conductor and singer to find the right inspiration. As much as I like Moll, I find his arias too slowly sung, as well as the Isis and Osiris chorale. Fortunately they still are very effective due to Moll's maginificent voice and the solemn nature of the music itself. Also, occasionally things can be a bit brisk to let the music breathe properly. Overall however, I would give this flute the best marks for conducting. The singing/acting also has no weak links and many outstanding aspects. Ariaza's Tamino is merely good--at his best with the speaker, and worst in final union music with Pamina. After the first trial he slightly misses a key timing, which when sung perfectly (hear Blochwitz on Christie) is one of the most sublime moments in the score. Still, this is a good, solid Tamino--well acted, suitably noble if a bit too old. Overall:B- The three ladies are some of the most delightful I've heard. The 2nd has a slightly grating tone, but their timing, harmoninzing, and accuracy puts them right at the top. A- Papageno is solid if rather a bit overdone. Hemm has a lusty, solid bavarian baritone which suits the part in my opinion. It is not a radiantly beautiful voice (hear Keenlyside on Davis), but solid and powerful. Many papageno's have been more charming, but Hemm is still good, and very find in ensembles. B Serra's Queen is up near my all time favorites: Popp on Klemperer, Dessay on Christie, Damrau on Davis. She rather lacks warmth however, which puts her slightly below these on the first aria. The 2nd is as good as anyone. A- Battle's Pamina is my favorite ever. I feel it was this sort of voice Mozart had in mind for the part--a radiant soprano. Battle's interpretive insights have often left me cold before, but I find her Pamina just spot on. She plays it with a Tempest Miranda sort of innocence and wornder. I find this suits Pamina exactly. A+ Monostatos is also the best I have ever heard. Singers tend to make him rather bland for some reason, but this singer gives him oodles of dramatic force. A+ Boys are superb. Their trio with battle's Pamina is the finest I have known as well. One boy in particular has amazing power and accuracy. A Sarastro is Moll not in his best voice, but it is still Moll. A Choir. Big American heavy vibrato style. Not my cup of tea, but more importantly the choral pieces are sung with genuine Masonic fervor that makes them satisfying regardless. B Speaker. Andreas Schmidt is as fine here as I have ever heard him. Wonderful warmth and force. A This is getting too long! While there is much in this performance that I still can imagine better, in overall quality this is by some margin the best performance I have heard or seen of this opera. Certainly those who love particular parts more than others will find other performances superior (Tamino lovers for instance will always treasure Wunderlich/Bohm), but if you love every note of this opera as well as its Masonic themes, I would give this the top recommendation. O, A+ english subtitles too. Video,sound and production are good, though not the best in my opinion. Overall the production has a sort of childish artistic style to it, which I thought was fine. But then Im mostly here for the music.
| 
