Jana Dobesova
Reporter
February 10, 2006
The Asheville Lyric Opera presented Mozart’s “Magic Flute” on Jan. 30 in Seeger Chapel, just three days after the 250th anniversary of Mozart’s birth. The group arrived in response to the invitation from ETSU’s School of Music.
The 500-member audience enjoyed the full length, three-hour show made up of a 16-member cast and 20-member orchestra.
In “The Magic Flute” Prince Tamino falls in love with Princess Pamina and seeks to rescue her from her the wizard Sarastro after being promised her hand in marriage by her mother, the Queen of the Night.
The story unfolds several events that purposefully mystify the audience about the identity of the villain.
In the end, Pamina and Tamino become an official couple and the darkness surrenders to light as all characters sing the final chorus in the harmony of friendship.
Soprano Amanda Horton, an Asheville native, starred as beautiful princess Pamina, and Patricia Vigil sang the demanding role of the Queen of the Night while wearing an eye-catching glittery gray costume with a tall, matching crown. Despite a catch on a high note, Vigil earned a boisterous standing ovation at the end of the opera.
Jason Baldwin, playing Tamino, and Jonathan Ross as his companion Papageno enriched the plot with humor in their English spoken parts.
All performers sang the original German lyrics which were translated into English on a screen that hung from the ceiling.
This performance was sponsored by ETSU’s Friends of Music organization, which raises money for scholarships given to economically disadvantaged ETSU students.
“The music department is one of the departments that offers the largest number of scholarships for its students,” said Pat Sheets, president of the ETSU Friends of Music. “Everybody in Friends of Music really loves music. That’s what feeds our souls.”
Indeed, the music of “The Magic Flute” fulfilled its purpose when the audience called the cast back on stage for a standing ovation.