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SCRUTINY | COC's “Alternate Cast” Of Mozart's Magic Flute Every Bit As Enjoyable As The First

By Joseph So on January 30, 2017

(l-r) Owen McCausland as Tamino, Kirsten MacKinnon as Pamina and Matt Boehler as Sarastro in the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)
(l-r) Owen McCausland as Tamino, Kirsten MacKinnon as Pamina and Matt Boehler as Sarastro in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

Given how popular Mozart’s The Magic Flute is, the Canadian Opera Company is giving a total of twelve performances. It sounds like a lot, but it’s far from a record. I think there were at least as many performances of the La boheme two years ago, and a Madama Butterfly further back in time had a whopping 15 performances!  With so many shows, the principals are typically double cast. I hesitate to use the terms “first” and “second” or “A” and “B” casts, as these words imply the non-opening night cast is somehow inferior. I attended the opening of the “Alternate Cast” Sunday afternoon, and found it every bit as enjoyable.

Four of the principals yesterday were different from opening night. Former COC Ensemble tenor Owen McCausland (Tamino) sang with rich, ringing tone. His good-sized, vibrant tenor has a fast vibrato which, while not to everyone’s taste, is nicely modulated in the marvelous acoustics of the Four Seasons Centre. Dramatically, his Tamino is suitably princely and engaging if on the reserved side, a nice contrast to the exuberant Papageno of Canadian baritone Phillip Addis, who acted up a storm. Addis gave a winning performance as the Bird-catcher, singing with robust tone, and received one of the biggest ovations in the final curtain.

Phillip Addis as Papageno (far left), Michael Colvin as Monostatos (centre) and Kirsten MacKinnon as Pamina in the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)
Phillip Addis as Papageno (far left), Michael Colvin as Monostatos (centre) and Kirsten MacKinnon as Pamina in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

BC soprano Kirsten MacKinnon is a voice new to me. I find her Pamina sympathetic and beautifully sung, whether in the ensembles or in the silvery “Ach, ich fuhl’s.”  Her skill at playing the Papageno Pan Flute is a work in progress, however — I say that with my tongue firmly planted in my cheek. The fourth new principal, Matt Boehler (Sarastro) has a beautiful, warm timbre to his bass and the requisite gravitas, if only a little short on the booming low notes in his two arias.

Spoken dialogue is always the bane of the existence of opera singers. Any of them will tell you they would rather not speak on stage, especially in a big theatre. Magic Flute and the other singspiel pieces like Der Freischutz have copious dialogue. I find that in Europe, often the dialogue is amplified by hidden stage microphones, although never the singing of course.  Yesterday afternoon, a few had to struggle to be heard, with the chief casualty being MacKinnon, who failed to sufficiently project. But given her lovely singing, it was a minor quibble.

Owen McCausland as Tamino in a scene from in the Canadian Opera Company's production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)
Owen McCausland as Tamino in a scene from in the Canadian Opera Company’s production of The Magic Flute, 2017. (Photo: Michael Cooper)

I should also mention that the rest of the cast performed the previous evening, meaning they had to sing twice in under twenty hours, not exactly ideal, particularly for the Queen of the Night. While she has only about ten minutes of music, those are killer minutes. Under the circumstances, dramatic coloratura Ambur Braid did very well, with a nearly flawless “O zittre nicht” and “Der hölle rache,” a few fleeting intonation and pitch issues notwithstanding. Her silent-movie Queen was as vivid as ever. The rest of the cast was fine. Now that Aviva Fortunata (First Lady) is back to health, she sang beautifully, as did Emily D’Angelo and Lauren Segal. The only other change was the First Armed Man, sung by tenor Andrew Haji, who was the previous evening’s Tamino.

Baroque and Mozart specialist Bernard Labadie led the COC forces in a sparkling and elegant performance. The Diana Paulus production remains a delight. Counting the various dress rehearsals and ensemble shows from 2011 and now, I probably have seen this six or seven times by now. It’s as fresh and appealing as ever, such is the power of Mozart. The Magic Flute continues to February 24 at the Four Seasons Centre.

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#LUDWIGVAN

Joseph So

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