Music Department to stage the classic Mozart opera ’The Magic Flute’

This weekend, Binghamton University’s Music Department is staging a production of Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute. Written in 1791, the classic story has been performed in countless renditions around the world, and stage director David Toulson and his cast are the latest to bring this work to life.

Hailed as one of the greatest operas ever written, The Magic Flute follows the adventures of Prince Tamino and the bird-catcher Papageno on their quest to rescue Pamina. To assist their mission, they are given musical instruments enhanced with magical powers that they deploy to conquer the trials and tribulations placed in their paths toward a deeper understanding of true love and happiness.

Mozart is one of the most influential composers of all time. From operas to symphonies, his works have survived the test of time, earning him the title of musical genius.

“One of the things that Mozart does, almost better than anyone, is write his works where the music and drama support each other completely,” Toulson said. “Sometimes, in other works, you have to work harder to blend the music and the drama. But with Mozart, he’s done all that work for you. If you just feel the music and listen in tune with it, the drama presents itself very freely and easily. I think that makes for great performance, when what’s going on onstage and what’s happening in the music are in line. It amplifies the production.”

The villain of The Magic Flute is the Queen of the Night, played in this production by Emma Bennett. The character appears harmless when the story begins. The Queen begs Tamino to rescue her daughter, Pamina, but it is soon revealed that her captors are only protecting Pamina from her mother’s evil influence.

“Vocally, it’s a very challenging role, and her personality is not one that I share. Trying to find ways that I can connect to her, understand her and empathize with her so that she’s not just a villain to me has also been a challenge,” Bennett said. “This is my second role as a villain. It’s really fun to just own the space and feel like I’m the main character whenever I’m on stage — it’s all about me.”

Although the Music Department puts on several productions a year, The Magic Flute is one of the bigger operas that Binghamton has seen in a long time.

“What’s different is the scale of this production,” Toulson said. “It’s a large cast, and it’s got a choral ensemble and chamber orchestra.”

“I’m thankful for how much this role has challenged me,” Bennett said. “The scale of the opera is so challenging and time consuming, I think it’s really pushed me as a performer to meet the demands of this role in this production.”

Performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Feb. 25, and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, in the Anderson Center Chamber Hall. Tickets are $5 for students, $7 for faculty and $10 for the public. The opera is sung in German with English surtitles.

“If there are people who haven’t been to an opera before, this is a perfect first opera,” Toulson said. “It’s a fairytale story. It’s colorful. It’s got high energy. It’s fantastic music. You get to the end, and you’re like, ‘Oh my gosh, that was an experience!’”

“The Magic Flute was the first opera that I saw at the Metropolitan Opera when I was a kid,” Bennett said. “So I can attest that it is a great first opera — it’ll get you hooked.”