A handsome, brave prince rescues a beautiful, innocent princess while evil powers try to stop him and newfound friends rush to his aid.
This recognizable fairy tale is the premise for Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute" and one of the main reasons why MOstly Opera, Southside Philharmonic Orchestra and the Jefferson City Concert Association will present it at 7 p.m. March 22 at Mitchell Auditorium on the Lincoln University campus.
"We wanted to pick something that was audience friendly. We did 'Hansel and Gretel' last year, so we wanted to remain family friendly," MOstly Opera Executive Director Rebecca Talbert said. "It is just a story like any other story. We want to show people how fun opera can really be. Opera was the popular music theater of the day, with that and plays as their entertainment. We want people to get how relatable opera really is."
As Mozart's last opera premiering a few months before he passed away in 1791, "The Magic Flute" delivers that familiar battle between good and evil that still captivates audiences today. After encountering the Queen of the Night in a wild forest, Prince Tamino, played by Ryan Hampton, is tasked to save the Queen's daughter, Pamina. With folksy birdcatcher Papageno by his side and a magic flute to protect him on his quest, Tamino encounters Sarastro, the High Priest of Isis played by Gordon Blodgett and whose temple Pamina is "imprisoned." Tamino soon realizes things are not quite what they seem.
"There is a plot twist. This opera starts off with the Queen of the Night as a grieving mother, but things soon change. You are not sure about the queen as the story progresses," Talbert said.
The intriguing story, its characters and its music are pieced together as a German singspiel, or form of music drama and now genre of opera. Talbert said some people call it the first musical since "The Magic Flute" is weaved together with original German spoken dialogue in between the arias, music and operatic songs.
"We are going to have text projections on the wall during the performance so people can read along with it as well," she said, noting the local performance is translated into English.
Talbert also said the classical period was about contrast, and Mozart created the Queen of the Night and Sarastro to differ between light and dark in character, and in song. Sarastro is a bass and the Queen is a coloratura soprano.
"You have the contrast of the high note of the opera and low note of the opera mirrored in the two voices of the main characters. The queen can hit a crazy high F; it is insane, and Sarastro reflects that note at the other lower end," she said.
A full cast of more than 20 singers auditioned last fall, but a few select performers were invited, including the Queen of the Night. Iowa resident Heather Ash has studied that role and is now excited to add performing the Queen of the Night for first time in Jefferson City to her resume of operatic performance.
As important as the singers are to delivering the story, Mozart's music helps drive the emotion behind each lyric. Patrick Clark, director and founder of the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra, returns to the conductor role with "The Magic Flute," a position he served in during "Hansel and Gretel" last year. Formed in 2015, the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra is a chamber orchestra, smaller than a full size symphony orchestra. Having done several successful concerts, they recently collaborated with Dancer's Alley to provide the classic music to "The Nutcracker."
The cast and the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra as practiced separately for a few months, with the two coming together for full rehearsals just a few times before the actual production. However, Clark has worked alongside Talbert and the cast during their rehearsals to fine tune each song during the two-act opera.
"I have to know the vocal music very well and know when a singer will stretch a cadence or speed something up, and let the orchestra know where we are going. Sometimes the orchestra needs to follow the singer, and other times the singer needs to follow the orchestra," Clark said. "In the end, I'm the only one that can bring the two together. It is a tremendous challenge and the greatest fun, and I enjoy handling opera specifically because of that challenge."
For Clark, Mozart's music in "The Magic Flute" enhances the story with humor, emotion and warmth, much like a Shakespearan comedy.
"Mozart is at the top of his game, both the perfection of the surface of the his music and the tremendous sense of humor he had in his music; they are present in this opera. This is the perfect unity of his perfection and his humor," he said.
Clark plans for the Southside Philharmonic Orchestra to do more operas and expand into other music genres in the future, and MOstly Opera is excited to provide another operatic performance to Jefferson City and Mid-Missourians.
"It is a great place for community to perform and have a home, at the same time I want to see children and all ages be involved in opera. I want to see Jefferson City really appreciate opera now and far into the future, keeping it alive," said Anne Riggs, co-founder of MOstly Opera.
Ash is encouraged the Jefferson City community will embrace "The Magic Flute," and is excited to convey opera at its core: humanity.
"Opera is the most elevated expression of the most human elements - the fury of the Queen of the Night, the sweetness and the innocence of Pamina, the bravery and curiosity of Tamino. These are the stories that every movie and every play tells," Ash said. "That is what people have to do, look for the humanity. And it is our job to bring that humanity to an audience the best we can."
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students. They are available for purchase at Capital Music in Jefferson City, Central Bank (downtown location), Hawthorn Bank and at the door.
Tickets are also available at www.jeffersoncityconcert.org, eventbrite.com/e/the-magic-flute-tickets-42424066525 or southsidephilharmonic.org.
For more information, visit southsidephilharmonic.org or SPO's or MOstly Opera's Facebook pages.