'Magic Flute' B Cast

Charles T. Downey, Washington National Opera’s ‘Magic Flute’ features strong opening and alternative casts
Washington Post, May 7, 2014

Mozart, Die Zauberflöte, D. Behle, M. Petersen, Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, R. Jacobs (Harmonia Mundi, 2010) [Review]

Washington National Opera opened a new production of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” on Saturday night, featuring psychedelic, potentially headache-inducing sets and costumes designed by Jun Kaneko. The run features double-cast alternatives for several roles, some of whom were heard at the second performance Monday evening in the Kennedy Center Opera House. On the basis of just these two performances, the opening night cast struck these ears as superior, but the alternate cast is certainly worth hearing.

Paul Appleby, who has a gift for comic roles, made a vanilla Tamino, lacking a silky legato in “Dies Bildnis” and with occasional unreliability in his top notes. Japanese soprano Eri Nakamura, in her American debut, showed a big, handsome voice as Pamina, but... [Continue reading]

Mozart, Magic Flute
English adaptation by Kelley Rourke
Washington National Opera
Kennedy Center Opera House