Die Zauberflöte

What better way to kick off the opera season than with McBurney’s phenomenal staging of Die Zauberflöte by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? With its beloved comical figure of the bird-catcher Papageno, Die Zauberflöte is an opera for all ages.

Simon McBurney is a master at conjuring a dazzling dream world using only a few simple objects. In his Die Zauberflöte we can see all the mechanisms at work, yet nonetheless are captivated by the enchanting magic that turns platforms into magic carpets, makes cartoon figures come alive and transforms empty bottles into a resounding carillon.

Pamina en Tamino 

Sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter, Pamina, from the clutches of Sarastro, Prince Tamino instead finds enlightenment, completing his task even as the Queen’s plan to reclaim power is foiled. As always, the bird-catcher Papageno steals the show with his mix of humour and depth. Young people play a pivotal role in Die Zauberflöte, abandoning old rules to ring in a new era. Ultimately, the love between Pamina and Tamino triumphs over all.

Cast & creatives

English director and actor Simon McBurney – acclaimed for his stirring self-directed solo performance The Encounter at the Holland Festival in 2016 – draws on a myriad of multimedia techniques for his productions. McBurney is particularly interested in the expressive power of the human body, and his stage productions employ an extremely physical acting style. Prior to Die Zauberflöte, Dutch National Opera hosted his opera-directorial debut A Dog’s Heart.

Thomas Oliemans returns in the role of Papageno. Debuting at Dutch National Opera as conductor is Antonello Manacorda, principal conductor of Het Gelders Orkest.

Co-production with English National Opera, London, and Festival d’Aix-en-Provence