Circus acrobats, vivid dream imagery, mythological winged creatures and futuristic robots…Cape Town Opera, in collaboration with the UCT Opera School, presents Mozart’s popular classic, The Magic Flute.
Mozart’s masterpiece remains a perennial favourite and is currently the fourth most frequently performed opera in the world.
As one fan, Glen Bezuidenhoudt, wrote on our Facebook page:
“The Magic Flute is the very definition of opera – full of laughter, romance and even some very touching elements that always bring me to tears.”
In this UCT/CTO collaboration, the best talents of UCT Opera School perform alongside CTO Studio singers and audiences can anticipate hearing beautiful, youthful voices sing stunning arias and duets (O zittre nicht, Der Hölle rache, Ach ich fühls, Pa-pa-pa- pa duet, O Isis und Osiris).
L to R: Noluvuyiso Mpofu and Sibongile Mntambo.
The cast includes two award winning singers – Sibongile Mntambo (UCT Opera School) and Noluvuyiso Mpo (CTO Studio). Both sopranos were runners up in prestigious singing competitions in 2016: Noluvuyiso took second place in the acclaimed 35th International Hans Gabor Belvedere Competition, held in Cape Town earlier this year.
(Listen to Noluvuyiso’s award winning performance here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWPV4tWtkaQ)
Sibongile Mntambo was runner up in the Amazwi Omzansi Africa Opera Competition that took place in Durban.
Both ladies won the audience award, a prize that attests to a performer’s charisma.
For those who have already booked tickets to The Magic Flute, director Matthew Wild recommends some recordings:
“The Magic Flute is a wonderful opera for home listening, and there are dozens of enjoyable recordings from which to choose. Played on modern instruments, Klemperer’s classic 1964 version for Warner is rather stately, but has unmissable singing from Gundula Janowitz as Pamina and Lucia Popp as the Queen of the Night. Colin Davis on Philips boasts Margaret Price’s Pamina, but more recent recordings from Georg Solti (1991) and Claudio Abbado (2006) offer more lively accounts, cast with fresh, youthful voices. If you prefer authentic instruments (as I tend to do), Arnold Östman and William Christie both offer fleet, magical readings with flawless casts, and René Jacobs presides over the most animated and exuberant (if sometimes controversial) version.”
There are five performances only of The Magic Flute and tickets are selling fast.
Book now to avoid disappointment.
http://online.computicket.com/web/event/the_magic_flute/987135617/0/69737986
Opera should be on every rising young professional’s itinerary. Remember, CTO offers an amazing deal for under 30’s: http://www.capetownopera.co.za/concessions/