Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Chicago Symphony Chorus
James Conlon, Conductor
Michael Ehrman, Director
John de Lancie, Narrator
Ailyn Pérez, Pamina
René Barbera, Tamino
Nathan Gunn, Papageno
Erika Miklósa, Queen of the Night
Morris Robinson, Sarastro
Alex Mansoori, Monostatos
Lei Xu, Papagena
Janai Brugger, First Lady
Lauren McNeese, Second Lady
Ronnita Miller, Third Lady
Rodell Rosel, First Priest/Second Armored Man
Brian Mulligan, Second Priest/First Armored Man
Henry Griffin/Nicholas Edwards-Levin/Liam Gannon, Three Genii
Due to scheduling conflicts, Michael York unfortunately will not be appearing at Ravinia as narrator for The Magic Flute, and the role of Tamino will be played by tenor René Barbera, stepping in for the ailing Charles Castronovo.
Mozart: | Die Zauberflöte (“The Magic Flute”) |
Was The Magic Flute merely a populist vaudeville or a mystical tract on Masonic symbolism? Perhaps this something-for-everyone masterpiece is both; certainly its music encompasses virtually all of the styles of Mozart’s time, from Papageno’s catchy show tunes to the Queen of the Night’s nearly impossibly demanding bravura arias; from Sarastro’s lofty epiphanies to the heart-melting lyricism of Tamino and Pamina’s love songs. The genius of Mozart ensures that the work succeeds on multiple levels, all the while glorying in some of the most beloved music ever created by Salzburg’s favorite son, and performed in the seductively intimate confines of the Martin Theatre.