Screenshot of The Royal College of Music’s production of “Die Zauberflöte” by There Stands the Glass.
New year, same old virtual Mozart. The Royal College of Music’s recent production of “Die Zauberflöte” is the eighth version of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s opera I’ve watched from home since the onset of the pandemic. I share a few of the reservations expressed by an Opera Today critic about the unconventional interpretation set at a prep school, but like her, I welcome the emphasis on the sexism imposed on Pamina and the Queen of the Night. The Royal College’s relatively modest presentation features strong performances and includes pop culture totems like cell phones and marijuana. My response to Mozart’s music becomes more rapturous with each viewing. An inaugural in-person encounter with “Die Zauberflöte” can’t come soon enough.