Allgemeine Zeitung Namibia, 22 September 2006
(Translation)
By Hannah Suppa
MOZART’S CLASSIC OPERA, “DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE”, AT THE NATIONAL THEATRE IN WINDHOEK
A different Zauberflöte
Performing opera in Windhoek is a rare occasion. Sandy Rudd, together with the Bank Windhoek Arts Festival, staged Mozart’s opera Die Zauberflöte at the National Theatre. A shortened version of the classic opera, but done with a great love for detail.
Before one can judge the staging of this Zauberflöte, one should forget a moment everything you ever read or heard about this famous opera. One should forget the big stages where Tamino tried to save Pamina, one should forget the great singers who sang Papageno and the Queen of the Night, and should only focus on the Windhoek production.
The Namibian Zauberflöte does not begin with music – the Bank Windhoek Arts Festival Organiser Aldo Behrens greets the audience on stage with a “Good evening boys and girls”. He takes the role of a grandfather that tells the story of a great love and a magical flute. With white hair and an elegantly calm voice, he provides in English a short summary of the story and the characters. Behrens sits charmingly in a spotlight in the orchestra pit in front of a music stand. Instead of the usual opera digital text translations, the Festival Director explains the plot to the non-German speaking audience. A good idea that suits the opera – not without reason is the Zauberflöte sometimes described as an opera for children or a “first light opera”. Sandy Rudd saves time by using this technique of explaining the plot, so that the focus is placed on the singing.
A painted forest on cardboard material serves as backdrop for the first scene – the singers are musically accompanied only by the pianist Laetitia Orlandi. There is unfortunately not a typical Zauberflöte orchestra of flutes, clarinets, oboes, horns and other wind instruments.
One of the singers that could compete with the absence of the orchestra in vocal strength was for example, the “Queen of the Night”, sung by Michelle Veenemans. She interprets the difficult and dramatic coloratura soprano magnificently and creates a spontaneous burst of applause – she wears a flowing dark blue gleaming dress and a shining crown. This is how one imagines the “Queen of the Night”.
Less convincing of the evening’s performance was the main character Tamino, sung by Arthur Swan. Although he was sick, as announced by Aldo Behrens at the start, the enchanting Hanli Stapela (Pamina)’s soprano out sung his slightly scratched tenor during their duets. Pity.
The settings on stage change from scene to scene: Sometimes in a forest, then a pyramid, that represents the realm of Sarastro, fire and water, a divan with a black backdrop – everything obviously handmade. However, the coloured and especially kitsch chain lights in the forest with the first entrance of the “Queen of the Night” were maybe a bit too much.
The performance of the paradise bird Papageno (humoristic and very well sung by Denver Smith) was also at this Windhoek production the highlight; a colourful feathered-costume, panpipes and always a funny line of dialogue. Papageno is one of the most loved characters in opera; and his duet with Papagena in the 9th scene of the second act was simply cheerful.
Sandy Rudd has planned a lot for the Arts Festival: Apart from the Zauberflöte, the director stages at the same time the musical “Lion’s Roar”.
Despite staging two large projects, the Mozart-production is successful, especially when one looks at it from a Namibian point of view and not thinking of the European productions of this classic opera.
