From March 31st to April 14th, the magic of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte) is on stage in the dreamlike creation – for the first time in Turin – signed by Suzanne Andrade and Barrie Kosky. Mozart’s suggestions mingle with the surprising projections inspired by silent films, with which the performers interact, creating an immersive experience that arouses the audience’s enthusiasm everywhere. Maestro Sesto Quatrini tackles the Mozart score with charisma and his usual precision, leading the Teatro Regio Orchestra and Chorus and two casts of young performers with an international profile. The direction is taken for the occasion by Tobias Ribitzki, the animations are by Paul Barritt, the conception is by “1927” (Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt), and the sets and costumes bear the signature of Esther Bialas. Maestro Andrea Secchi leads the chorus as usual. The opera is performed in the original German language (with Italian subtitles) in the production by the Komische Oper Berlin.

In the role of Pamina are Ekaterina Bakanova and Gabriela Legun; in that of Tamino, Joel Prieto and Giovanni Sala; Alessio Arduini and Gurgen Baveyan play Papageno; the Queen of the Night by Serena Sáenz, Beate Ritter and Danae Kontora; In-Sung Sim is Sarastro (in addition to the speaker and a vocalist); Amélie Hois is Papagena. Completing the cast are Lucrezia Drei, Ksenia Chubunova and Margherita Sala (first, second and third dames), Thomas Cilluffo as Monostatos and Enzo Peroni and Rocco Lia (first and second armiger). The three children are soloists in the children’s voice choir, instructed by maestro Claudio Fenoglio and are Viola Contartese, Flavia Pedilarco, Alice Gossa, Costanza Falcinelli, Isabel Marta Sodano and Blanca Zorec.

On Tuesday, March 28th, at 6 p.m. at the Piccolo Regio Puccini, an appointment with the Conference-concert, a new format for presenting the operas to the public, conducted by journalist Susanna Franchi, which combines music and singing with the protagonists’ stories. For the occasion, artists Sesto Quatrini, Ekaterina Bakanova and Alessio Arduini will be guests. In addition, piano accompaniment by maestro Giannandrea Agnoletto is scheduled for performances by Matteo Mollica baritone, Francesco Lucii tenor, Rocco Lia bass, Irina Bogdanova soprano and Amélie Hois soprano (the last four are Artists of the Regio Ensemble).

In a fairyland where it is difficult to discern good from evil, Prince Pamino goes astray and meets a funny feather-covered character named Papageno. The two youngsters, protected by the magical powers of a flute and a music box and aided by two brave girls, Pamina and Papagena, will challenge dark characters and learn to overcome their fears. They will also find love: two marriages will sanction a doubly happy ending. This is the labyrinthine fairy tale told in The Magic Flute, the opera in German that Mozart composed in 1791, a few months before his death. The Magic Flute is the most widely performed German-language opera, one of the ten most famous operas in the world. It is an ageless opera and can be appreciated by an eight-year-old child as well as an 80-year-old. It is full of contradictions, and inconsistencies of story and characters, and mixes fantasy and magic by reaching the deepest human emotions.

On the occasion of the premiere of this truly unique staging, Barrie Kosky (theatre director, Superintendent of the Komische Oper Berlin) described his collaboration with the “1927” group of Suzanne Andrade and Paul Barritt in the conception in this way: “With Suzanne and Paul I share a love for variety, vaudeville, music hall and similar forms of theatre, and of course for silent film. So our Papageno recalls Buster Keaton, Monostato is a bit Nosferatu, and Pamina has something of Louise Brooks in her. But it is more than just a homage to silent film; there are influences from very different fields. It is a combination of live performance and animation that generates a totally new art form. We evoke the world of dreams and nightmares with an aesthetic that recalls the silent film universe.” To this, Paul Barrit (filmmaker, co-creator of “1927” added: “We draw visual inspirations from many eras, from 18th-century copperplate engravings to today’s comic books.” And again Suzanne Andrade (theatre director, performer, co-creator of “1927”): “Our Magic Flute is a journey through different fantasy worlds.” Barrie Kosky again: “Time is dictated by the music, even-especially-in the dialogues, which we condensed and turned into silent film intertitles; the accompanying music we use is by Mozart, from his Fantasies for Piano, this gives a consistent style and rhythm. It’s a silent film by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, so to speak!”; Paul Barrit concludes, “It’s a love story, told like a fairy tale.”

As a reminder, in all evening performances, the audience has the opportunity to enjoy a buffet dinner in the Toro Foyer during intermission: Opera buffet can be purchased online at the cost of €27 or directly on the evening of the performance, at the cashiers in the entrance foyer, for €30.

For the Magic Flute play scheduled for Sunday, April 2nd, at 3 p.m., Bimbi Club is active. The service is for parents and/or grandparents who wish to enjoy the performance, while children (ages 6 to 10) participate in fun singing and dance workshops from 2:30 p.m. until the end of the play. Reservations and packed snacks are recommended. The cost of Bimbi Club is €10, and you must have a ticket for the performance to gain access.