Listeners can follow the sounds of Tamino's magical flute and Papageno's silver bell to a fairy-tale world of Mozart's "Magic Flute" tonight and tomorrow at the Poly Theatre.

Cyndia Sieden, who sings the Queen of the Night, is one of the preeminent Mozart interpreters of her generation. [File Photo]

The event is an international joint-production by Florida's Orlando Opera Company, the Orchestra Internazionale d'Italia, the China Central Opera Theatre and the Macao International Music Festival.

The "Magic Flute" is performed under contract between the Beijing Music Festival and the Macao festival, whose artistic director is Warren Mok, the acclaimed Chinese-born tenor.

"We felt regret that we failed to bring La Scala's 'La Traviata' to Beijing this year, but we still have a wonderful opera that is starring 14 outstanding international artists," says Yu Long, artistic director.

"Magic Flute' is a wonderful combination of the comic and the serious intermingled in a way that is frequently disconcerting but inevitably lifelike," Yu says. "Mozart succeeded in combining these two elements of everyday life in a musical fantasy which has captivated audiences of all ages for more than 200 years."

And Mok, who contributed greatly to the opera at its opening night at this year's Macao International Music Festival on October 10 and now to the Beijing Music Festival, believes the programme is a sensation.

"Opera is a delicate balance between the visual and the aural. And Mozart's 'Magic Flute' is an even more delicate balance between the serious and the comic," Mok said. "In this production, it is the visual and comic that win out."

Against a fantastic scroll-painting setting designed by Carey Wong and Otello Camponeschi and Fabrizio Onali's comparably traditional period costumes - and under the exciting directorship of Robert Swedberg - the opera explores eternal themes such as the triumph of good over evil; brightness defying darkness; and love conquering all.

The story tells of the young prince Tamino being pursued by a horrible snake and finding himself in the land of the Queen of the Night. After the Queen's Ladies help kill the snake, Tamino meets Papageno, the Queen's birdcatcher. Soon, it is revealed to Tamino that a distant king, Sarastro has abducted the Queen's beautiful daughter, Pamina. After seeing her portrait, Tamino quickly falls in love.

With the help of a magic flute, given to him by the Queen, Tamino and Papageno go on a quest to save Pamina. Meanwhile, in Sarastro's palace, Pamina is being tormented by the slavekeeper, Monostatos. Soon, Tamino and Papageno arrive and are surprised to find that Sarastro is not the cruel tyrant they thought. It turns out that Sarastro abducted Pamina because the gods had intended that she was to marry Tamino. After passing a series of tests by the priests, Tamino is granted Pamina's hand.

Director Robert Swedberg has been general director of the Orlando Opera Company since 1990 and is also a member of the board of directors at Opera America.

Carey Wong has worked for about 25 years as a stage designer and arts administrator in the United States and Canada. He has created more than 250 designs for opera, theatre, dance, television, and museums throughout the United States. Wong attended Yale University and the Yale School of Drama and is currently an adjunct faculty member at Seattle University.

The US tenor Mark Thomsen leads off with a commendably earnest portrayal of the courageous Prince Tamino, enduring trials to rescue captive Pamina. His tone softens to its most appealing emotional expression in Tamino's "magic flute" aria toward the end of Act One.

"Thomsen is a winning hero. He voices Tamino with pleasing lyrical sweetness and no straining for effect and he plays the character convincingly," said Warren Mok.

Cyndia Sieden who sings the Queen of the Night is one of the pre-eminent Mozart interpreters of her generation, and her performances in opera, concerts and recordings have established her as a coloratura soprano of rare distinction. She is well-known in the role of Queen of the Night. With the inventive genius of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, the "Magic Flute" has been a popular work in which she has performed throughout Europe and the United States.

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