The Magic Flute – review

Though Nicholas Hytner's staging of Mozart's opera has been a popular staple of English National Opera's repertory for 23 years, the company has announced that its present revival will be its last. Whatever replaces it, it is sure to be missed. If the libretto's improbably disparate elements of fairytale, philosophical quest, knockabout comedy and magical ritual might sound irreconcilable, back in 1988 Hytner and designer Bob Crowley managed to emulate Mozart's score in combining them into one single, surefooted structure. Revived here by Ian Rutherford and James Bonas, the show has lost little of its visual enchantment, balanced overview or entertainment value.

Much of its success this time around lies in the conducting. Making his Coliseum debut, Nicholas Collon brings consistent flexibility and momentum to a reading that never for a moment hangs fire, even if one or two orchestral lines occasionally need sharpening up. He also proves responsive to his singers, who together comprise a quality team.

Especially memorable is Elena Xanthoudakis's Pamina, voiced with shining tone and a fine appreciation of the music's lyrical contours. Shawn Mathey's Tamino is a little over-eager where more finesse is really needed, but the ardency of his singing is nevertheless appealing. Robert Lloyd's bass has a mottled quality these days, but his Sarastro still offers gravitas and all the notes. Kathryn Lewek's Queen of Night delivers both her arias to an impeccable standard.

Crucial to the success of any Flute is the role librettist Emanuel Schikaneder originally designed to showcase his own talents – that of the bird-catcher, Papageno. Duncan Rock seems a natural for the part, his antipodean ebullience enabling him to connect ever more confidently with the audience throughout the evening; but he clearly meets his match in Rhian Lois's equally scene-stealing ultra-Welsh Papagena.

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