AUDITORIUM

  • HOME

  • OUR STORY

  • FEATURES

  • REVIEWS

  • CONTACT

  • More

    How to Solve a Problem Like The Magic Flute


    ✮✮✮ 1/2

    Mozart's Die Zauberflöte

    Opera Siam | Bangkok

    Somtow Sucharitkul | Trisdee na Patalung

    How to present The Magic Flute? The problem is that it combines some of Mozart’s most sublimely beautiful and profound music with an absurd plot of nexplicable contradictions. In Opera Siam’s wonderful new production in December at the Thailand Cultural Centre, director Somtow Sucharitkul imaginatively reconciles the discrepancies of the plot by seeing the potential for both good and evil in all of us, at least within our imaginings. He presents the opera as a fantasy which a group of ordinary people jointly entertain. They appear first, during the overture, in their everyday clothes, working in an office, and, in mime, an argument develops between them.

    Then, as Act I starts, they are transformed into their fantasy avatars – Princes, Princesses, Priests and so on. Over the course of the opera they work through their petty quarrels. Reconciled, they, and the audience, return to their real lives, happy that friendship and love have eventually triumphed.

    The opera is sung in German, with the spoken dialogue a mixture of English and Thai. There are surtitles, in English, Thai and Japanese, which sometimes get out of phase, and, in their English version, employ a weirdly old-fashioned translation – “To your goal leads this road, still you must, young one, manly win.” The chorus are rather thin on the ground, and sometimes, too, in voice.

    Yet overall the standard not only equals but actually exceeds what one would expect to experience in a typical European opera house. Mexican/German Emilio Pons’ Tamino has a clear, rather Italianate tenor voice, with great emotional expressiveness (a touch of Gigli). The Australian Damian Whiteley has the powerful and generous basso profondo necessary for Sarastro, while Italian/Thai Monique Klongtruadroke as Queen of the Night is terrific as a wicked witch (think Cruella de Vil in 101 Dalmatians), and sings her two famously fiendish arias effortlessly, hitting top Fs with élan.

    The German baritone Falko Hönisch gives a hugely energetic and entertaining performance as Papageno. Schikaneder would surely have approved! The scenes between him and Papagena are the comic highlights, enlivened at the end by their family of tiny Papagenos and Papagenas, played with huge enthusiasm and flapping of wings by a flock of young children. The young Thai soprano Nadlada Thamtanakom is a sensational Pamina, a radiantly beautiful fairytale princess. She sings gloriously with great purity of tone and deeply affecting lyrical warmth – simply the best Pamina I’ve ever seen.

    The other outstanding performance is by the young Thai conductor Trisdee na Patalung. It was Opera Siam’s 2006 production of The Magic Flute that marked the operatic debut of the then 20 year-old Trisdee, to rave reviews. It led to Trisdee being invited to conduct at the Rossini Opera Festival in Pesaro, to equal acclaim, and further engagements in Italy, the Netherlands and the UK. In this production, Trisdee achieves miracles with the very young orchestra, in a performance of great sensitivity and warmth, bringing out the sublime nature of Mozart’s amazing score. Opera companies around the world should be looking to snap him up.

    #opera

    Featured Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Strips","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"fill","cubeRatio":"100%/100%","isVertical":false,"gallerySize":30,"collageDensity":0.8,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":true,"imageMargin":0,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":false,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":true,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":1,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":120,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":false,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":true,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":3,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":"SHOW_ON_HOVER","galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":true,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":1,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":18,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":160,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":0,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":50,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":220,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":5,"targetItemSize":220,"selectedLayout":"5|bottom|1|fill|false|1|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":5,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":0,"externalInfoWidth":0},"container":{"width":220,"height":284,"galleryWidth":220,"galleryHeight":123,"scrollBase":0}}
    Recent Posts
    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Where Do Men Go to Grieve?

    Autumn Approaches

    Autumn Approaches

    The American Struggle

    The American Struggle

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    Now We'll Hear From the Opposition

    A Family All at Sea

    A Family All at Sea

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    Hollywood and the Optimism of Disappointment

    We Are the World

    We Are the World

    As the Crow Flies

    As the Crow Flies

    Am I or Am I Not?

    Am I or Am I Not?

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    The Truth, or Something Beautiful

    {"items":["5fda4a4941e7f9001737e958","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e956","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e954","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95b","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e953","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95a","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e959","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e955","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e957","5fda4a4941e7f9001737e95c"],"styles":{"galleryType":"Columns","groupSize":1,"showArrows":true,"cubeImages":true,"cubeType":"max","cubeRatio":1.7777777777777777,"isVertical":true,"gallerySize":30,"collageAmount":0,"collageDensity":0,"groupTypes":"1","oneRow":false,"imageMargin":22,"galleryMargin":0,"scatter":0,"rotatingScatter":"","chooseBestGroup":true,"smartCrop":false,"hasThumbnails":false,"enableScroll":true,"isGrid":true,"isSlider":false,"isColumns":false,"isSlideshow":false,"cropOnlyFill":false,"fixedColumns":0,"enableInfiniteScroll":true,"isRTL":false,"minItemSize":50,"rotatingGroupTypes":"","rotatingCropRatios":"","columnWidths":"","gallerySliderImageRatio":1.7777777777777777,"numberOfImagesPerRow":3,"numberOfImagesPerCol":1,"groupsPerStrip":0,"borderRadius":0,"boxShadow":0,"gridStyle":0,"mobilePanorama":false,"placeGroupsLtr":true,"viewMode":"preview","thumbnailSpacings":4,"galleryThumbnailsAlignment":"bottom","isMasonry":false,"isAutoSlideshow":false,"slideshowLoop":false,"autoSlideshowInterval":4,"bottomInfoHeight":0,"titlePlacement":["SHOW_ON_THE_RIGHT","SHOW_BELOW"],"galleryTextAlign":"center","scrollSnap":false,"itemClick":"nothing","fullscreen":true,"videoPlay":"hover","scrollAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","slideAnimation":"SCROLL","scrollDirection":0,"scrollDuration":400,"overlayAnimation":"FADE_IN","arrowsPosition":0,"arrowsSize":23,"watermarkOpacity":40,"watermarkSize":40,"useWatermark":true,"watermarkDock":{"top":"auto","left":"auto","right":0,"bottom":0,"transform":"translate3d(0,0,0)"},"loadMoreAmount":"all","defaultShowInfoExpand":1,"allowLinkExpand":true,"expandInfoPosition":0,"allowFullscreenExpand":true,"fullscreenLoop":false,"galleryAlignExpand":"left","addToCartBorderWidth":1,"addToCartButtonText":"","slideshowInfoSize":200,"playButtonForAutoSlideShow":false,"allowSlideshowCounter":false,"hoveringBehaviour":"NEVER_SHOW","thumbnailSize":120,"magicLayoutSeed":1,"imageHoverAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imagePlacementAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","calculateTextBoxWidthMode":"PERCENT","textBoxHeight":60,"textBoxWidth":200,"textBoxWidthPercent":75,"textImageSpace":10,"textBoxBorderRadius":0,"textBoxBorderWidth":0,"loadMoreButtonText":"","loadMoreButtonBorderWidth":1,"loadMoreButtonBorderRadius":0,"imageInfoType":"ATTACHED_BACKGROUND","itemBorderWidth":0,"itemBorderRadius":0,"itemEnableShadow":false,"itemShadowBlur":20,"itemShadowDirection":135,"itemShadowSize":10,"imageLoadingMode":"BLUR","expandAnimation":"NO_EFFECT","imageQuality":90,"usmToggle":false,"usm_a":0,"usm_r":0,"usm_t":0,"videoSound":false,"videoSpeed":"1","videoLoop":true,"jsonStyleParams":"","gallerySizeType":"px","gallerySizePx":1000,"allowTitle":true,"allowContextMenu":true,"textsHorizontalPadding":-30,"itemBorderColor":{"themeName":"color_12","value":"rgba(230,230,230,0)"},"showVideoPlayButton":true,"galleryLayout":2,"calculateTextBoxHeightMode":"MANUAL","targetItemSize":1000,"selectedLayout":"2|bottom|1|max|true|0|true","layoutsVersion":2,"selectedLayoutV2":2,"isSlideshowFont":true,"externalInfoHeight":60,"externalInfoWidth":0.75},"container":{"width":220,"galleryWidth":242,"galleryHeight":0,"scrollBase":0,"height":null}}
    Archive
    No tags yet.
    Search By Tags
    • June 2019 (1) 1 post
    • May 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • April 2018 (4) 4 posts
    • March 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • February 2018 (2) 2 posts
    • January 2018 (3) 3 posts
    • December 2017 (1) 1 post
    • November 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • October 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • September 2017 (4) 4 posts
    • August 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • July 2017 (3) 3 posts
    • June 2017 (4) 4 posts
    • May 2017 (8) 8 posts
    • April 2017 (9) 9 posts
    • March 2017 (13) 13 posts
    • February 2017 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2016 (9) 9 posts
    • October 2016 (10) 10 posts
    • September 2016 (17) 17 posts
    • August 2016 (24) 24 posts
    • July 2016 (9) 9 posts
    • June 2016 (11) 11 posts
    • May 2016 (4) 4 posts
    • April 2016 (3) 3 posts
    • March 2016 (1) 1 post
    • February 2016 (3) 3 posts
    • January 2016 (2) 2 posts
    • November 2015 (4) 4 posts
    • October 2015 (1) 1 post
    • September 2015 (4) 4 posts
    • August 2015 (5) 5 posts
    • July 2015 (13) 13 posts
    • June 2015 (8) 8 posts
    • May 2015 (3) 3 posts
    • April 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • March 2015 (6) 6 posts
    • February 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • January 2015 (2) 2 posts
    • December 2014 (4) 4 posts
    • November 2014 (8) 8 posts
    • October 2014 (11) 11 posts
    • September 2014 (10) 10 posts
    • August 2014 (7) 7 posts
    • July 2014 (9) 9 posts
    • June 2014 (7) 7 posts
    • May 2014 (6) 6 posts
    • April 2014 (9) 9 posts
    • March 2014 (4) 4 posts
    • February 2014 (2) 2 posts
    • Facebook Round
    • YouTube Round
    • Vimeo - Black Circle
    • Twitter Round
    • Instagram - Black Circle

    © AUDITORIUM EU LTD.