Glenn Gould School Spring Opera — Mozart: Die Zauberflöte. Elias Theocharidis (Tamino), Olivia Morton (Pamina), Gennady Grebenchuk (Papageno), McKenzie Warriner (Queen of the Night), Matthew Li (Sarastro), Jeffrey Liu (Monostatos), Julia Kennific (Papagena), Emma Pennell (First Lady), Charlotte Anderson (Second Lady), Jessica Lyublinsky (Third Lady), Nora Jane Montana (First Spirit), Meghan Linnington (Second Spirit), Marie Conceiçao (Third Spirit), Nicholas Kluftinger (First Armed Guard), Tyler Prince (Second Armed Guard) / Allison Grant, Director / Royal Conservatory Orchestra, Jennifer Tung, conductor. Koerner Hall, March 19, 2025. Repeats on March 21; tickets here.
Following the hugely successful, sold-out performances last November of its double-bill operatic offering of L’enfant et les sortilèges and L’enfant prodigue, the Glenn Gould School Spring Opera currently on offer is the beloved Mozart masterpiece, Die Zauberflöte. It’s limited to only two performances. It opened on March 19, with the last show on March 21.
Instead of staging it in the intimate, 237-seat Mazzoleni Hall, which was the venue for the double-bill last November, Die Zauberflöte is staged in the more spacious, 1,135-seat Koerner Hall, with its state-of-the-art technical equipment, allowing for a more elaborate production. I am told that both performances are completely sold out, although it doesn’t hurt to contact the box office for possible returns.
It should come as no surprise that this Mozart opera would be a hot ticket. According to the Operabase website, Die Zauberflöte is the second most popular opera in the world based on the number of performances, which stands at 21,352 worldwide since 1996. It beats out such warhorses as Carmen (19,405) and La Boheme (18,948), in third and fourth place respectively.
Given that Koerner Hall is not an opera house, substantial adaptations in the staging are needed. Instead of fixed sets, designer Kim Sue Bartnik uses small props to be carried on and off stage by supernumeraries. Very effective are the large blank canvases upstage, on which various images are projected according to the dramatic situations. The lighting by Jason Hand and the use of recorded sound are very effective in creating the right atmosphere. I joked that the thunder and lightning as executed on opening night were startling enough to strike fear of God into the hearts of the audience!
The Performance
Die Zauberflöte requires a huge cast, and the GGS singers were fully up to the task. The principals all have fine voices, to be sure. As Tamino, Elias Theocharidis’s large spinto tenor and heart-on-sleeve acting made a strong impression. Soprano Olivia Morton (Pamina) sang a beautiful “Ach, ich fühl’s,” marked by silvery tone and lovely high piano. Also excellent was coloratura soprano McKenzie Warriner who stratospheric top notes in “Der Hölle Rache” earned her the biggest ovation of the evening.
As Papageno, baritone Gennady Grebenchuk injected the requisite humour into the proceedings, and his scene with Papagena (soprano Julia Kennific) was fun. Bass Matthew Li was a youthful sounding Sarastro, who also happened to have the most eye-catching costume of the evening, designed by Alex Amini.
The opera was sung in German, with some cuts and modifications to the voluminous spoken dialogue. However, what remained was still substantial for a non-German speaking cast. Kudos to the German diction coach.
Final Thoughts
Through it all, the singers were beautifully supported by the excellent RCM Orchestra under debuting conductor Jennifer Tung. Die Zauberflöte is a complex show to stage, especially when it comes to scenes like the trials by fire and water, given the physical limitations of Koerner Hall.
Director Allison Grant did it as well as can be expected. Moreover, the lack of a chorus meant that the scenes involving Sarastro, the temple, and all the inherent Masonic references lacked the requisite solemnity.
I was also puzzled by the stage action in the first few minutes of the overture, which honestly left me scratching my head. It was only afterwards when I read the director’s notes that I realized it was an obscure reference to the theme of family dysfunction linking all three GGS operas this year. Well, I wonder how many in the audience figured this one out! Never mind, for me the greatest pleasure of Die Zauberflöte is in the music, and we audience members got it in spades.
All in all, a very satisfying evening at the opera.
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