Die Zauberflote

Last night I was trying to remember how many operas I have seen staged. I think it was about 6. Un Ballo en Mascera in San Francisco as a teenager, one opera in Vienna as a college student, two in Chicago on our last sabbatical (Dr. Atomic and La Traviata), and two LA Opera productions - Grendl and Marriage of Figaro. Maybe there are more, but I can't remember them.

Last night makes 7, then. We went to the LA Opera to see this amazing production of Mozart's The Magic Flute. I can hardly begin to describe it, so here is a link to the trailer so you can get a taste of it. This particular interpretation of the opera comes from the Komische Oper in Berlin, and it looks like a silent film from the 1920s. The wall on stage is white, and all the "scenery" is projected animations. The Queen of the Night is a large spider (creepy). Truly, this is a production for the whole family. Very kid-friendly.

We also attended the pre-opera talk given by the conductor which was very helpful and enjoyable, although I think we were about the youngest people there. It's unusual for us to go into LA on a weeknight, but it was so worth it, and I will probably always remember it. Also, the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion is all gussied up for Christmas, so it was especially lovely.