Barnes & Noble
What better way to celebrate this Mozart anniversary year than with a new recording of one of the composer's best-loved operas, The Magic Flute? Surprisingly, Claudio Abbado has waited until recently -- the maestro is in his 70s -- to begin conducting the opera, yet the result is truly luminous, with this live performance captured in perfectly balanced and acutely detailed sound. The Mahler Chamber Orchestra brings a real transparency to the score, of a sort that's more typically heard only from period instrument ensembles, and Abbado has also gathered together a remarkable cast of young singers. The gleaming voice of Dorothea Röschmann as Pamina is one standout, especially in her intensely poignant "Ach, ich fühl's," and Erika Miklósa brings all the required fireworks of the coloratura arsenal to the Queen of the Night's arias. But the show is nearly stolen by the bass and baritone soloists. René Pape's Sarastro is the perfect picture of mystical but benevolent authority, his voice resonating with powerful depth in the solemn "In diesen heil'gen Hallen," and as Papageno, Hanno Müller-Brachmann adds just the right amount of broad slapstick comedy while also singing the character's arias with joyful warmth. Tenor Christoph Strehl's Tamino is a tenderly sung interpretation as well, and the smaller roles are just as admirably filled. The performers also do a marvelous job in bringing their spoken dialogue to life -- their acting is nearly as fine as their singing. A consistently compelling performance, Abbado's Magic Flute stands out as one of the most gratifying of the opera's many recordings. Scott Paulin
All Music Guide
The age of miracles has not yet passed. After centuries of revolutions and wars and genocides, it is still possible for love and laughter to be prized and praised. And the proof is this recording of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte with Claudio Abbado directing the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and a cast of mostly young and entirely dedicated singing actors. Certainly the greatest living conductor – who else is equally excellent in Mozart, Mahler and Legeti? – Abbado leads a performance at once wholly fresh and beautifully polished, a performance of wonderful wit and tremendous depth, a performance so full of heart and soul and spirit that it makes one joyous just to hear it. Name for name, except for incomparable René Pape as Sarastro, the cast might not be the greatest ever assembled but their energy and enthusiasm more than compensates for their lack of star power. Just as impressive is the playing of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. They are technically as fine as the best orchestras but their playing has more character and individuality than virtually any orchestra. Similarly, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir is as fine as the best choirs but their singing is more committed and effervescent than nearly any longer established choir. Anyone who loves Die Zauberflöte owes it to themselves to hear this performance, especially as preserved in DG’s crisp, clear and full sound. James Leonard
All Music Guide
The age of miracles has not yet passed. After centuries of revolutions and wars and genocides, it is still possible for love and laughter to be prized and praised. And the proof is this recording of Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte" with Claudio Abbado directing the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir, and a cast of mostly young and entirely dedicated singing actors. Certainly the greatest living conductor -- who else is equally excellent in Mozart, Mahler, and Ligeti? -- Abbado leads a performance at once wholly fresh and beautifully polished, a performance of wonderful wit and tremendous depth, a performance so full of heart and soul and spirit that it makes one joyous just to hear it. Name for name, except for incomparable René Pape as Sarastro, the cast might not be the greatest ever assembled, but the energy and enthusiasm more than compensates for the lack of star power. Just as impressive is the playing of the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. It is technically as fine as the best orchestras, but its playing has more character and individuality than virtually any orchestra. Similarly, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir is as fine as the best choirs, but its singing is more committed and effervescent than nearly any longer established choir. Anyone who loves "Die Zauberflöte" should hear this performance, especially as preserved in DG's crisp, clear, and full sound. James Leonard
New York Times
This is a breezy, insightful and winning account, in a way the opposite of Klemperer's: Mr. Abbado conveys the opera's humane and comic elements while letting the profundity come through on its own.... Mr. Abbado elicits clear-textured, articulate and wondrously natural playing from the orchestra.... Everyone involved sounds palpably inspired by Mr. Abbado's awesome musicianship. Anthony Tommasini
San Francisco Chronicle
In this splendid performance directed by Claudio Abbado, the opera's multiple hues shine with brilliance and depth.... This is one of those performances that makes a listener thrill to it all anew. Steven Winn
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