Operafest Lisboa 2023

The Magic Flute

W. A. Mozart

Great Classics & Audience of the Future

2, 3 and 5 SEP | 21h00

Garden of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga

Opera in 2 Acts

Sung in Portuguese version by Alexandre Delgado

Subtitled in English

Length: 1h40 with intermission

The Magic Flute was the last opera composed by the Austrian genius and it is the most performed opera of all time, since its premiere in 1793, in a theatre in the outskirts of Vienna owned by the empresario, actor, singer and Mozart’s friend, Emanuel Schikaneder, who signs the libretto. The flute given by the three ladies to prince Tamino to win over his beloved Princess Pamina has the power of neutralizing evil, its music operates miracles whipping out danger- a metaphor of music’s universal and unifying power.

Advocating Masonic ideals, symbolizing good against evil, darkness versus light, this apparently enchanting fairy tale, is filled with contraction, following good old tradition of fairy tale as a manual instruction to face life dangers, it speaks after all about parental abuse, cowardice versus courage, but also love, friendship and life precious things. With Mozart’s most sublime music, this opera irradiates an overwhelming light reaching out all audiences, in the perfect setting of the marvelous garden of Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga! Staged by actress and staged director Mónica Garnel, it will be conducted by the young talented Tiago Oliveira with a cast of exciting Portuguese emerging singing talent.

Musical direction: Tiago Oliveira

Stage direction: Mónica Garnel

Setting and props:  Patrícia Costa

Light design: Sérgio Moreira

Stage direction assistant: Anna Lepännen

Cast

Pamina: Cecília Rodrigues

Tamino: Frederico Projecto 

Papagueno: André Henriques

Queen of the night: Patrícia Modesto

Sarastro: Nuno Dias

1st Lady & Papaguena: Filipa Portela

2nd Lady: Rita Filipe

3rd Lady: Alexandra Calado

Monostatos: Marios Maniatopoulos

Three Children: Guilherme Chantre, Joana Almeida e Duarte Nunes

Ensemble MPMP