Mozart in May
Mondays & Fridays in May
This May, Stingray Classica premieres two wonderful productions of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart operas. Both are Singspiels, an operatic genre that gained great popularity in the late 18th century, containing spoken dialogue instead of recitative, musical numbers, and usually a comic plot. On May 6 at 21:00 CEST, Stingray Classica presents a production of Mozart’s ‘Die Entführung aus dem Serail’ (The Abduction from the Seraglio) by the Opéra national de Lyon. Set in a Turkish harem, the opera tells the story of the Spanish lord Belmonte and his beloved Constanze, who – together with her servant, Blonde – is captured by pirates and sold to Bassa Selim. Assisted by his servant Pedrillo, Belmonte comes up with a plan to rescue Constanze. On May 13 at 21:00 CEST, Stingray Classica broadcasts the composer’s best-known opera, ‘Die Zauberflöte’ (The Magic Flute), performed by Orchestra and Chorus of Teatro La Fenice under the baton of Antonello Manacorda. ‘Die Zauberflöte’ tells a fairy tale-like story in which Prince Tamino is commissioned by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina, who has been captured by priest Sarastro. Accompanied by bird-catcher Papageno, Tamino starts his quest. These broadcasts are repeated on May 9 (Die Entführung aus dem Serail) and May 16 (Die Zauberflöte).
Mozart - Die Entführung aus dem Serail
May 6 and 9 | 21:00
Stefano Montanari conducts the Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra de Lyon in a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera Die Entführung aus dem Serail (‘The Abduction from the Seraglio’, 1782). Set in a Turkish harem, the opera tells the story of the Spanish lord Belmonte and his beloved Constanze. Constanze and her servant Blonde are captured by pirates and sold to Bassa Selim. Assisted by his servant Pedrillo, Belmonte creates a plan to rescue Constanze. Among the soloists are Jane Archibald, Cyrille Dubois, Michael Laurenz, Joanna Wydorska, David Steffens, and Peter Lohmeyer. This performance was recorded at the Opéra de Lyon, France, in 2016.
Mozart - The Magic Flute
May 13 and 16 | 21:00
Antonello Manacorda leads the Orchestra and Choir of Teatro La Fenice in a performance of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s beloved opera Die Zauberflöte (‘The Magic Flute’). Mozart probably started to compose his masterpiece in May 1791, less than six months before his death. The work’s libretto is written by Emanuel Schikaneder. In its fairy tale-like narrative, Prince Tamino is commissioned by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina, who has been captured by priest Sarastro. Accompanied by bird-catcher Papageno, Tamino begins his quest. After finding Pamina in Sarastro’s territory, Tamino is first subjected to a number of trials in order to prove he is worth marrying Pamina. Die Zauberflöte features wonderful arias, including the famous 'Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen' ("Hell's vengeance boils in my heart"), a virtuoso aria for coloratura soprano sung by the Queen of the Night. Among the soloists are Goran Jurić, Antonio Poli, Ekaterina Sadovnikova, Alex Esposito, Olga Pudova, and Caterina di Tonno. This performance was recorded at Teatro La Fenice in Venice, Italy, in 2015.
