Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		3.0
Overall		4.5

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov June 5, 2008

One of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s greatest works and a true masterpiece of classical music, Die Zauberflote a.k.a The Magic Flute arrives on Blu-ray in a rendition courtesy of Sir Colin Davis and the Royal Opera House. Produced by David McVicar and recorded live at the Covent Garden in 2003, this handsomely produced disc is distributed in North America by BBC Worldwide Ltd and Opus Arte.

Written in 1791 to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, Die Zauberflote is an opera in two acts employing the popular at the time singspiel, a musical style combining singing with spoken dialog. Often linked closely to the spiritual and philosophical credos behind the Freemasonry, Die Zauberflote became famous not only for its sublime harmonies, but also for its often ambiguous symbolism. The opera’s first performance was in Theater auf der Wieden, Austria on September 30, 1791, only two months before Mozart’s death.

Performed in two acts, Die Zauberflote takes place in ancient Egypt. The Queen of the Night is furious with the High Priest of Isis, Sarastro, who has managed to steal her beautiful daughter Pamina, He is planning to bring Pamina to his temple where she would be spared from the evildoings of her mother.

Tamino, a young prince wandering the treacherous sands of Egypt, is attacked by a giant snake and saved by the powerful servants of the Queen of the Night. Shortly after he is asked to confront the High Priest and bring Pamina back to her mother. Determined to return the favor Tamino immediately agrees joined by his close friend Papageno, a bird-catcher. Before Tamino leaves the Queen of the Night gives him a magic flute which he must play when in danger.

At the Temple of Isis, Tamino saves Pamina. But Sarastro steps forward and reveals to Tamino why Pamina was taken away from her mother. Tamino, who has already fallen in love with Pamina, is stunned. He quickly changes his mind and agrees to remain in the Temple of Isis where his love for Pamina will be unchallenged.

Angered by Tamino’s decision, the Queen of the Night appears in Pamina’s dreams and demands that she kills the High Priest. In the meantime Tamino is taken away from Pamina to be indulged in the mystic powers of the Goddess Isis. Suspecting that Tamino might have abandoned her Pamina becomes ill.

With time running out, Tamino and Papageno must overcome a number of obstacles, often using the magic flute, before they return back to Pamina. Eventually, the two lovers are reunited and the Queen of the Night driven away.

The Queen of the Night

Die Zauberflote is a work closely linked to the evolvement of Freemasonry (its overture is in the predominantly Masonic key of E-flat). Combining perfectly written harmonies with admittedly less than impressive texts, the opera addresses universal themes with strong misogynistic overtones. Good and evil appear closely intertwined in a sea of misleading scenes where Mozart’s fascination with the philosophical ideals and principles behind Freemasonry often necessitate unconventional reads. Suffice to say, even after repeated viewings, a lot of the symbolism in Die Zauberflote is difficult to decipher.

This specific take on the classical opera produced by David McVicar truly brings new life to a musical work with a formidable history. Massive and incredibly rich decors set the mood in a perfect fashion, allowing the audience to fully immerse into the magic world of Tamino and Pamina. From the giant snake in the opening act, to the fearful Queen of the Night, every single character and creature in Die Zauberflote is treated with an utmost amount of care.

The cast is equally impressive. The flawless recreation of a long, complex, and very demanding story, where multiple characters are responsible for a colorful mosaic of words and tunes, is something one has to see in order to appreciate – unlike cinema where cast and director have the luxury of experimenting with different ideas over and over again opera demands utmost precision and professionalism, here everything happens in real time, and there is no room for mediocrity.

Finally, this specific presentation was recorded at the Covent Garden in 2003 and it would be unfair not to praise the outstanding contribution by the Royal Opera House Orchestra and Choir under the baton of Sir Colin Davis. Indeed, Mozart’s music is performed with a degree of perfectionism one would be hard pressed not to admire.

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

I have long wondered what would be the medium that will finally do ballet and opera justice. VHS and DVD always seemed to miss an important fragment of the overall experience both of these genres provide. Having seen Opus Arte's release of Die Zauberflote, this reviewer, who also happens to have performed the opera twice, is convinced that this is the best and most complete experience you could get at home. Here's why: presented in 1080i and an aspect ratio of 1.78:1 Die Zauberflote provides an incredible amount of detail one would be hard-pressed not to describe as astonishing. When watching this disc, keep in mind that what you see is a "live" performance where every single line, move, and note are unique. Then also consider the enormous work that has gone into the elaborate costumes and stage designs, how they are captured by the camera, and transferred to BD - frankly, I don't think you could match the degree of authenticity this BD release offers in any other format.

The lush and sharp colors of the fabulous gown the Queen of the Night wears for example are perfectly captured on BD. Even her make-up often looks so rich that I had to pause my disc a few times to take a closer look at how incredibly detailed everything was. The "live" lighting on the other hand certainly introduces some impressive nuances - between the night and daylight scenes I urge you to pay close attention to how natural everything looks. Once again, as someone who has been involved in many opera productions, it does not get any better than what you have here folks!

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The Blu-ray disc offers two audio options: a German 2.0 and 5.1 PCM Stereo tracks. Optional English, French, and Spanish subtitles are provided. This being said I did experiment with a number of different scenes from this disc and the biggest and most obvious example of how much better the 5.1 track is is when you have the choir singing. There is substantially more depth to the sound, more color if you will. It is also a bit heavier in my opinion as I could certainly detect better resonance as well (somewhat similar was my experience with the overture where for better or worse I was able to hear more of the woodwind section on the 5.1 track than I did on the 2.0). So, by all means opt for the 5.1 track.

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are four bits of supplemental material on this disc. First is an illustrated synopsis of the opera where the entire story is told under the presence of selected grabs. Next is a gallery with cast photos. The third feature looks behind the scene of this production providing numerous scenes of raw material from the rehearsals and actual staging process. Sir Andrew Davis provides his thoughts on the appeal of the opera as well. The last supplemental bit here is actually the best one. Titled simply Sir Andrew Davis talks about Die Zauberflote the renowned conductor offers a truly fascinating analysis of the heavy symbolism in Mozart's masterpiece.

Mozart: Die Zauberflöte Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

I cannot recommend highly enough this disc. Many of the early enthusiasts who argued that BD is capable of providing an entirely new type of viewing experience will certainly find a great deal of comfort in Opus Arte's impeccably produced Die Zauberflote. This reviewer found it impossible not to admire the excellent work done by David McVicar and Sir Andrew Davis.