Der Moafänger bin ich ja!

[muckefuck]

monshu indirectly asked me last night why I didn't post about the opera and the reason was that there was nothing really to complain about, so I didn't have much to say. I've seen this production of Zauberflöte before and it's a good one. The music kicks ass, so all you really need are (1) competent singers (in particular a coloratura who won't massacre the Queen of the Night's big aria) and (2) a reasonably charismatic baritone to play Papageno, since he's the most entertaining character in the whole piece.

Since it's the Lyric, fulfilling those conditions isn't really an issue. The others carped a bit about Kiwi Samoan Lemalu's German, but honestly it didn't bother me. I could understand everything he said and it's kind of appropriate for our free-spirited forest-dwelling nature boy to have some kind of freaky accent. (He had a habit of raising his mid close vowels, so for instance Ohnmacht sounded like Unmacht.)

Oh, and you South Siders might be amused to find out that the moment of Shameless Pandering to the Home Crowd consisted of putting the three little genii (German imports, all) into White Sox uniforms at the end of of the "Pa-Pa-Pa" ensemble--and that it garnered a thundering round of applause.

Comments

[twnchicago.livejournal.com]

Ah my favorite Mozart opera... Shameless Pandering to the Home Crowd? I bet you'd have a hard time finding 20 people in the audience who have ever been south of Soldier Field...

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Be that as it may, they cheered big. Rising above petty neighbourhood rivalries, they just noticed their hometown being celebrated and responded.

[niemandsrose.livejournal.com]

Love the pantomime lions.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Yeah, too bad they don't get much stage time. Reportedly, they wanted to cut the number of animals on stage this go-round, but the stage director or someone objected.

[off_coloratura]

I love how on Tamino's held "Villeicht" they all balance on one leg, physically acting out the fermata. That part of the opera is so silly, I just love it.

[sfopanda.livejournal.com]

I remember playing in the orchestra for Don Giovanni, Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte in school productions. Being in the pit, though, meant I could only see the action when it came right up to the edge of the stage. Still, it was all quite gratifying because everyone always worked really hard in rehearsals.

Maybe I should drag sfobear to Chicago to go see this - he'd be able to hear what the Queen of the Night aria really *should* sound like (instead of my spectacularly hideous rendition). Also, Sir Andrew Davis is one of my favorite conductors.

[muckefuck.livejournal.com]

Not that I would ever try to talk anyone out of visiting my beloved Chicago--even in the dead of winter--but you might want to check first to see when the SF Opera is doing this next. It tends to be in heavy rotation among the modern repetoire; we last saw it here only a couple years ago.

[sfopanda.livejournal.com]

Good idea - SF Opera is doing Figaro in June... We love Chicago even in winter, but the question is our schedule and flight availability. If it comes together we'll let ya know!