‘The Magic Flute’ at the Metropolitan Opera

Rolando Villazón returns to the Metropolitan Opera this month to reprise his dazzling portrayal as Papageno in the Met’s family-friendly production of Mozart’s The Magic Flute. Sung in English and running under two hours, Julie Taymor’s magical staging features a starry cast, including Piotr Buszewski and Joshua Blue sharing the role of Tamino, Janai Brugger and Liv Redpath as Pamina, Kathryn Lewek as the Queen of the Night, and Brindley Sherratt and James Creswell as Sarastro.

Patrick Furrer and Gareth Morrell share conducting duties, with performance dates including December 8, 10, 13, 16, 20, 22, 26, 28 & 30. Villazón has garnered praise for his uproarious portrayal as the luckless bird catcher previously with Bachtrack hailing:

“Villazón all but stole the show in a standout performance as Papageno. […] With his vocal lines intoned in quasi-parlando style, his voice was the perfect fit. Well-known for his sheer abandon on stage and his finely detailed characterizations, Villazón brought perfect comic timing to his gestures and English-language dialogue, adding some seemingly spontaneous, but always humorous expressions in other languages.”

Photo: Rolex / Stéphane Gallois