Three enormous, 27-metre-high fire-spewing “dragon dogs”, a Queen of the Night costume to break all records, three mythical creatures for the three ladies operated by puppeteers, and dozens of stunt artists rushing around the stage: in his staging for the Bregenz Festival, David Pountney offers “a spectacle of the highest calibre” (Neue Zürcher Zeitung), while providing new answers to the eternal questions surrounding “The Magic Flute”, opened up by Schikaneder's libretto. “A visually mind-blowing fairy tale” is how the Kurier newspaper described it, with Die Welt adding: “a colourful as well as smart ‘Magic Flute'”. The vocal ensemble leaves nothing to be desired either: Ana Durlovski (voted Singer of the Year by Opernwelt magazine) is captivating as the Queen of the Night with her “flawless coloraturas” (Der Standard), while Norman Reinhardt sings an “outstanding Tamino” (Deutschlandradio) and Eike Wilm Schulte is a deluxe casting as Second Knight. Patrick Summers meanwhile conducts Mozart's score with the impeccable Vienna Symphony Orchestra producing “a pleasing and dignified sound.” (Schwäbisches Tagblatt).
