THE MAGIC FLUTE IN HD. I missed the live screening of The Metropolitan Opera's abridged Magic Flute--the one with production design by Julie Taymor--but I just got back from an encore screening that I greatly enjoyed. The mood in the theater was cheerful and excited, the sound was very good, and many of the enlarged details of the production (such as a close-up of a red ribbon used to represent wine) were delightful to behold, although some aspects of the production were clearly intended to be seen at a distance. (It was a very reasonable tradeoff overall.) Nathan Gunn's Papageno was a pleasure, as was Greg Fedderly's Monostatos.

Judging from the applause patterns at the screening I saw, I believe that at least one of The Three Boys was present. It was fun to cheer the little fellas.

The production is scheduled to be broadcast on PBS tonight. Give it a try!

Here's a young boy singing the famous Queen of the Night aria.



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