Peter von Winter's Das Labyrinth is a most interesting work. It is nowhere near the level of Mozart's Die Zauberflote, which to me is an operatic masterpiece, but while it had quite a task in no way does it disgrace it, the story and music even reference those of Zauberflote. The story is mostly compelling, though some parts are a little random and hackneyed and the music is every bit as beautiful and clever, again not Mozart but more than worthy on its own.
This Salzburg production is just as interesting and is a very good one on the whole. Wasn't entirely crazy about the sets, which seemed rather stark and limited to a backdrop and narrow platforms. They did have potential to be much bolder than they actually were, but didn't have the space to do it. But the rest of the visuals are fine, with lovely costumes(Queen of the Night's is an absolute knockout), interesting star-like lighting and the storm and crescent moon effects are cleverly done and make for great visual moments. The staging has its fair share of humour, poignancy and suspense and does generally stay true in spirit to the story of Die Zauberflote except not quite as dark.
Musically, the production is just great with the best splendid. The orchestra play the score with gentle, stylish lyricism, powerful intensity and nuances in the more intimate moments. The sound the orchestra makes is always a pleasure to listen to. The vocal ensemble sections are very well blended and tightly controlled(the three ladies are exemplary), the double chorus parts were most impressive from a composition and performance standpoint and Ivor Bolton's conducting is attentive, treating the music and the singers with care. The cast are strong on the whole, personal favourite being the wonderful Sarastro of Christof Fischesser. He has an authoritative but sympathetic stage presence and he has such a warm tone to his voice that you feel at ease listening to him. Michael Schade also sings with unstrained warmth and lyrical style, and he does make Tamino more engaging than a fair few Zauberflote productions made him. Thomas Tatzl's Papagano is lively and entertaining and Regula Mühlemann's Papagana is charm personified. Malin Hartelius is an affecting Pamina and while she is not quite on form at first with some uncharacteristic shrillness she does grow significantly in confidence later on and sings with her usual creaminess. Dramatically Julia Novikova is spot on as Queen of the Night, quite chilling in fact, but the role is even more challenging than in Zauberflote and Novikova's vocal production too often makes that quite clear. Klaus Kuttler's Monostatos is surprisingly great and one to watch and all the additional roles here are delightfully taken.
All in all, an interesting opera and a very good production. 7.5/10 Bethany Cox
