Review: THE MAGIC FLUTE at LA OPERA

Traditional or Inventive? That Is the Question When it comes to opera, I believe there is a place for innovation. However, radically reinventing a work that was conceived and traditionally presented in a particular way can sometimes undermine its essence. Last year, I purchased four tickets to the Los Angeles Opera's production of Mozart's The Magic Flute, one of my favorite operas. My wife and I had previously seen two traditional productions and were eager to introduce our son and his fiancée to both opera and the classical arts. As circumstances would have it, my son's fiancée was unable to attend because she was expecting their first child. We instead invited my wife's sister to join us. Living nearly ninety miles from Los Angeles, attending the opera is a special occasion for us, and we looked forward to sharing the experience with our family. My wife and I consider ourselves traditionalists, but we also appreciate creativity and artistic experimentation. Our son, an adjunct professor of photography at USC and UCR, is an accomplished photographic artist whose work is included in the permanent collections of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and other respected institutions. We are certainly not opposed to innovation for its own sake. Unfortunately, this production of The Magic Flute was a disappointment. The cartoon-like visual projections frequently appeared out of sync with the music, creating a disconnect between what was seen and what was heard. Rather than enhancing the performance, the visual elements often distracted from it. More troubling was the portrayal of the Queen of the Night as a spider. While directors and designers have every right to offer fresh interpretations of classic works, this particular choice diminished an important symbolic dimension of the opera and weakened the dramatic presence of one of its most compelling characters. The Magic Flute is more than a fairy tale set to music. It is a work rich in symbolism, allegory, and themes often associated with Masonic ideals of wisdom, enlightenment, and moral development. Innovative productions can illuminate these themes in new and meaningful ways, but they should do so without obscuring the qualities that have made the opera endure for more than two centuries. Innovation has an important role in keeping opera vibrant and relevant for new audiences. Yet there is a fine line between reimagining a masterpiece and departing so far from its original spirit that its essential meaning is diminished. In my view, this production crossed that line. Despite an enjoyable evening with family, the performance itself left me longing for the elegance, coherence, and symbolism that have made The Magic Flute one of Mozart's most beloved operas. For those of us who cherish the traditional presentation of this masterpiece, the production served as a reminder that not every innovation improves upon the original.