Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, K620 (The Magic Flute)

Directed, Set & Costume Design by JEAN-PIERRE PONNELLE

This production of Mozart’s Magic Flute received enormous and unanimous approval, when it was premiered in Salzburg. Endless applause on the night and an unusual state of accord from the international press where enthusiastic reviews soon gave this staging the status of a legend.

Of course, none of that would have had the same appeal if it had not been in accord with Mozart’s music, performed quite un-theoretically, with perfect blend of lightness and pathos, humour and profundity, by James Levine and the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra; nor would it all have worked without a truly Festival-worthy cast of singers whose strengths were perfectly balanced and every single one of whom – right down to the members of the chorus – was totally committed to the work.

Sound Format: PCM Stereo

Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 5 & DVD 9 / NTSC

Subtitle Languages: DE, GB, FR, ES, IT

Running Time: 189 mins

FSK: 0

Directed by Julie Taymor

Set & Costumes by Jean-Marc Stehlé

Mozart’s final opera Die Zauberflöte is also his most famous. The general public is familiar with its array of popular arias, most notably the Queen of the Night’s breathtaking coloratura. Since its premiere in 1791, two months before the composer’s death, the opera’s fairy tale plot, eccentric cast and fantastic scenery have exerted an almost childlike fascination on generations of audiences. The production is infused with an all-pervading sense of playful joy - packed with wonderful effects including fl ying machines, colourful costumes and magical scene changes.

The Opéra national de Paris production is cast of the finest rank: Sarastro is played by the bass Matti Salminen, while the other main roles are taken by young singers - meanwhile all well-established on the international scene - who were then at the start of their careers: Pamina is sung by Dorothea Röschmann, while the Queen of Night is played by the soprano Désirée Rancatore. The tenor Piotr Beczala is Tamino, and the baritone Detlef Roth is a fabulously fresh and lively Papageno. For this musical highlight, they come together under the baton of worldwide successful Hungarian conductor Iván Fischer. Benno Besson’s detailed, even scholarly knowledge of the work’s genesis and his supreme grasp of its cultural and ideological background are placed entirely in the service of its fairytale aesthetic offering the viewer a truly magic opera!

Sound Format: PCM Stereo, DD 5.1

Picture Format: 16:9

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Subtitle Languages: DE, GB, FR, ES, IT

Running Time: 158 mins

FSK: 0

Live Recording from The Felsenreitschule Salzburg, 1982

Concept and Script: Christian Boesch

Based on a staging by Jean-Pierre Ponnelle

The Magic Flute had been the sensation of the season in 1978. It received enormous and unanimous approval, endless applause on the night and brought on an unusual state of accord in the international press, where enthusiastic reviews soon gave the staging legendary status. Christian Boesch became one of the progenitors of this movement when he created a new version of Mozart’s popular opera, in which Papageno becomes the storyteller. He worked with director Jean-Pierre Ponnelle to develop a concept that presents Mozart’s wondrous mystery play – based on the Salzburg Festival production 1978 – in such a way that it encourages young audiences to relate to the genre and exposes them to the magic inherent in this particular work. This DVD captures the incomparable atmosphere of the fi rst ever staging of The Magic Flute for Children.

Sound Format: LPCM Stereo

Picture Format: 4:3

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Subtitle Languages: GB, DE, FR

Running Time: 106 mins

FSK: 0

Otto Schenk’s magnificent production is captured in this live 1964 Salzburg Festival performance. 168 minutes, black & white, mono, subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. All regions.

Musical Arrangements by Alexander Krampe, Directed and Script Arrangement by Ulrich Peter & Set Design and Costumes by Luigi Perego.

English and Japanese Language Version.

Mozart’s masterpiece is presented in a version shortened to 60 minutes for the youngest (from 5 years), young and also adult audiences, thus providing children with their first insight into the fascinating world of opera.

Papageno is the presenter, who accompanies the audience through the piece in an easily understandable, cheerful manner, and experiences his adventures with the prince Tamino, who has fallen in love with Pamina, the daughter of the Queen of the Night, and yearns to liberate her from the kingdom of Sarastro, who has abducted her. However, until the happy ending of the piece, there are numerous hindrances to be overcome, such as wild beasts that bar Tamino’s path, or Monostatos, who has also fallen in love with Pamina. And even if Papageno is in no mood for heroic deeds, his yearning for a “girl or young woman” is rewarded – and her name, of course, is Papagena.

Sound Format: PCM STEREO

DVD Format: DVD 9, NTSC

Picture Format: 16:9

Running Time: 60 mins

Languages: GB, JP

FSK: 0