ENGLISH - The magic flute

PALAU DE LA MÚSICA CATALANA

ÒPERA POPULAR DE BARCELONA

This version of The magic flute is a humble tribute to all the opera companies thathave ever traveled the world-- with love. The scene takes place in Barcelona in October 1960 at the Palau de la Música, and it is a quarter to four in the afternoon. The artists of La Catalana, a humble traveling opera company, have been nervously waiting for hours for the arrival of Néstor Ortiz, the very young tenor who plays Tamino. The Austrian Consul and the members of the jury are impatiently waiting in the audience for the show to begin, because they must select a foreign company to perform The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) at the Salzburg Festival —an exception, obviously.

The situation, which is already becoming a catastrophe, worsens by the minute. Malecanta, the so-called ‘natural’ son of the company's owner — Mrs. Amparo, a bitter coloratura soprano who plays the Queen of the Night— offers himself to sing the role of Tamino. He has been cast in the role of Monostatos—not a bad offer for him, given his notorious inability to sing. Malecanta decides to take advantage of Néstor’s absence in order to have his moment in the spotlight.

The desperate company members are distraught and pulling their hair out from the stress, but the Maestro quickly attacks with the first bar, resigning them to their fate: the show must go on... Just when Malecanta is about to start singing, to the public’s surprise at the back of the room a wonderful voice is heard -- like that of the most beautiful angel in heaven. “..-Zu Hilfe! Zu Hilfe! Sonst bin ich verloren...” -- It's Néstor, who, thanks to Mozart, was able to catch the first train in the end. Is the show saved?... No! A mediocre, slimy director—the same one that lied so that Néstor would take the wrong train and not arrive on time— has set countless traps to make the show go wrong, but... Mozart will come down from heaven again to defend virtue. This is the simple lesson of The magic flute: good always triumphs over evil.

5 FEBRUARY 2023

18:00 h Semi-staged opera

LA FLAUTA MÀGICA

Música de Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Libretto Emanuel Schikaneder

Orquestra de Cambra Terrassa 48

Conducted Josep Miquel Mindan

Stage manager Jaume Villanueva

Costume design Montse Miralles

Choreography Roberth Aramburo, Gloria Llevat

Ligths by Claudi Palomino

Characterization Laura Liñán, Marta Ivars

Assistant director Blanca Díez Arias

Stage managers Álvaro Durán, Juliana Tauber, Esther Mauri

Production manager Marina Negre

Concertmaster Quim Térmens

Choir director Eric Varas

Lighting technology IMESDE

Props and costumes Rafató Teatre

Translator Jordi Monfort

Photography & graphics Biel_fpv, Asimètic films

Communication Jeloudoli

The magic flute, a philharmonic creation of O.P.D.B

OPERA POPULAR DE BARCELONA

General Artistic Administrator Cristina Raventós

Artistic direction Eric Varas

Assistant Artistic Director Jaume Villanueva

Founding patrons of honor

Josep Arias Velasco, Xavier Biel i Jordi Ribera Bergós

Pamina Kristen Larsen

Tamino Facundo Muñoz

Papageno Joan G. Gomà

Papagena Imma Masramon

Sarastro Danil Sayfullin

Queen of the Night Alexandra Nowakowsky

Monostatos Ángel Baile

Ladie 1 Alba Martinez Nieto

Ladie 2 Kimhiyo Nakako

Ladie 3 Maria Jurado

Angel 1 Ana Yanini

Angel 2 Victorina Pérez

Angel 3 Grissel Ruiz

Armed man1 Jose Cabrero

Armed man 2 Lluis Vergés

Slave 1 José Luis González

Slave 2 Germán Casetti

Choir

Sopranos: Ana Yanini, Ayelén Seras, Gabriela Schurrer, Victorina Pérez, Leyna Díaz

Mezzosopranos: Grissel Ruiz, Sara García, Juhee Nam, Maria Batlle, Marta Mateu

Tenors: Jose Cabrero, Adrià Mas, Roger Vicens, Eduardo Tut, Jose Luís González

Basses:

Lluis Vergés , Rodrigo Aguilar, Carles Salmons, Ariel Seras, Germán Casetti

DURATION 2H WITH A HALF PART OF 15 MINUTES

Mariemma's boys and girls

Guillem Calderón, Sofia Lasheras, Daniela Martín,

The four samurai

Pau Aymerich, Genís García, Jan López, Ekaitz Villar

Dieci piccoli papageni e papegene

Amneris Belmonte, Ayra Belmonte, Viola Bombardi

Queralt Balsera, Maria Capell, Julia Esplugas, Berta Garcia, Queralt Moriña, Daba Poveda, Magdalena Querol

Baby Marina Durán

Fictional characters Cia. La Catalana

Néstor Ortiz Facundo Muñoz

Amparo Valle, Alexandra Nowakowski

Malecanta, Ángel Baile

Guest stars

Teddy Bear

Dragon Pong Xhoh

With the collaboration of the students of the Conservatori Professional de Dansa de l'Institut del Teatre

Figuration program and poster Sergi Espina

SUMMARY of the Original Synopsis

Prince Tamino is attacked by a big serpent. Three ladies who are the servants of the Queen of the Night save him and leave to tell her about him. Papageno, a bird catcher, shows up and claims to have killed the serpent.

The 3 Ladies arrive and punish him, and show Tamino a portrait of the queen’s daughter, Pamina, he falls in love with her immediately. The Queen of the Night promises her daughter to him if he can rescue Pamina, who is enslaved by the evil Sarastro.

Tamino decides to rescue her and is given a magic flute by the 3 Ladies. Papageno is enlisted to assist Tamino and is given magic bells. Through the power of these instruments, Tamino finally meets Pamina.

They fall in love with each other immediately and Tamino realizes that Sarastro is not an evil man, but a high priest who has protected Pamina from her mother, who is filled with ambition to dominate the world.

To reunite with his beloved, Pamina, Tamino must pass 3 tests ordered by Sarastro. The first of which is silence. Tamino cannot speak to Pamina, but she does not know why. She feels deep sorrow, but the pair eventually endure this test. The second test is fire and the third test is water. Together, with the power of the magic flute, they overcome these tests. Papageno is also tested to win his lover to whom he promised to be loyal. Papageno is not able to endure the tests and begins to lose hope.

The 3 Angels remind him of his magical bells, and he calls to Papagena. They fall in love and plan to have children.

Pamina’s mother, the Queen of the Night is furious. She tries to break into the temple of Sarastro with her 3 Ladies and Monostatos, but she is beaten by his power. In the end, Sarastro blesses Tamino and Pamina for overcoming their tests and they are reunited.

Mozart, a tribute to virtue

Mozart, like the most authentic art, does not need to be understood to reach our soul. Sublime by the beauty of goodness, his music is the indescribable matter of dreams, from the smallest note— Mozart's humble greatness manifests itself by provoking us into absolute abstraction, oblivion: the beautification of Schopenhauer, the implicit transcendental foundation of beauty.

Transcendence is a virtue. Virtue is the means by which humans innately function in life. If there’s anyone who enjoyed this privilege in the long, heavy, and tortuous discourse of history, it was W. A. Mozart.

Explaining Mozart is a risky venture. Mozart is a feeling-- like love; like the tenderness of that best friend that we have always dreamed of, and that many of us are lucky to have. I would not understand humanity without him. To describe the unimaginable feeling of fullness that Mozart provokes in me, I am compelled to reference the Sonata in C major (KV330/ 1), where Mozart was a child, like me -- a beautiful and playful friend who emerges happily from the score, takes me by the hand, and leads me along, dancing. Perhaps  music is meant to make you feel that which words cannot describe.

Mozart's closeness to the average people, and his understanding of their needs, along with his work’s contribution to the spread of culture, enlightenment, social criticism, and freedom, completely destroys the cliché and false caricatures of him as a frivolous, inconsequential, and trivial composer. Mozart's work and life magically contribute to the progress of humanity. Magic is a constant presence in Mozart’s work and life  in the same way that it is a fundamental part of goodness and virtue. In the confrontation between good and evil that takes place in The magic flute, the listener quickly learns that good does not exist, and that evil is the natural state. Good is only the absolute absence of evil.

With this in mind, we invite you to take part in the humility of our project, which stems from virtue. We have put in our best effort. Behind each gesture, each note – even the most imperceptible movement-- there are hours upon hours of diligence, energy, hard work, solitude, and sacrifice, but also great joy and happiness. We are not greedy because music has made us a family. Nothing comes without earning it: we are here because good has been able to triumph over the pettiness and exploitation by some poor human beings. We live for art alone and have poured our hearts into this Zauberflöte to make it truly magical. We are proud of our team’s dedication and eager to share it with you.

A huge thank you to everyone: the wonderful audience, the company, the musicians, the artists, the technicians, and the singers, for creating so much happiness and for granting me the enormous fortune of experiencing Mozart's magic and the true value of his goodness.

Jaume Villanueva

Quim Terméns

ORQUESTRA DE CAMBRA

TERRASSA 48

Orchestra Conductor Josep Miquel Mindan

Assistant Artistic Director Stage director Jaume Villanueva

Artistic direction Choir director Eric Varas

Concertmaster

Pamina Kristen Larsen Tamino Facundo Muñoz Papageno Joan G. Gomà

Sarastro Danil Sayfullin

Monostatos Ángel Baile

Papagena Imma Masramon

Reina de la Nit Alexandra Nowakowski

Dama 1 Alba Martinez Nieto

Dama 2 Kimhiyo Nakako

Dama 3 Maria Jurado Àngel 1 Ana Yanini

Àngel 2 Victorina Pérez Àngel 3 Grissel Ruiz

Guardià 1 Jose Cabrero Guardià 2 Lluis Vergés

Esclau 1 José Luis González Esclau 2 Germán Casetti

COR D’ÒPERA POPULAR DE BARCELONA

SOPRANO SOPRANO SOPRANO

MEZZOSOPRANO MEZZOSOPRANO

MEZZOSOPRANO

BAIX BAIX BAIX

BALLET

Choreography

Glòria Llevat

Contemporary dance

Pau Aymerich

Contemporary dance

Genís García

Contemporary dance

Ekaitz Villar

Contemporary dance

Jan López

Choreography

Roberth Araburo

Bolera school

Guillem Calderón

Bolera school

Sofia Lasheras

Bolera school

Daniela Martín

TECHNICAL TEAM

Costume design Montse Miralles

Characterization Laura Liñan

Characterization Marta Ivars

Clothing and props Anaïs Roca

Stage manager Juliana Tauber

Stage manager Alvaro Durán

Stage manager Esther Mauri

with