A Magic Flute: Budapest Spring Festival

O wydarzeniu

For many years, Peter Brook planned to stage The Magic Flute. In the end, he did not direct a production of Mozart’s masterpiece—at least not in the form it has been worn thin by opera houses in the course of two centuries. Instead, he created A Magic Flute. Presented at the end of 2010 at the Paris Bouffes du Nord, his farewell to the world of theatre has been touring the world ever since, keeping its audience inspired and excited.

In a daring move, Brook set out to explore the core of the drama. Discarding supporting roles, he gave voice only to the most important characters, Pamina and Tamino, Papageno and Papagena, the Queen of the Night, Sarastro and Monostatos. This is a production without magnificent operatic voices, or even an orchestra: there is only a single piano to play the music. There is no overture, some of the songs are missing, and the plot is forwarded by two prose actors. Brook, wrote a critic, is not interested in the magic, the Freemasonry, or the symbols. All he relates is the tale, the great myth of hearts meeting. This, says the director, is how Mozart would play it today.

Guest performance of the Théȃtre des Bouffes du Nord.