Metropolitan Opera Archives

The revival (which I saw on February 16) went off with a sort of racing dynamism that only indicated some of the score's strengths. Chagall's colourful sets are looking threadbare, and enclose rather than enhance the stage proceedings which, on this occasion, were presented more for easy laughs than for any profundity. Why Lawrence Foster was chosen as conductor is a mystery. He showed little feeling for the give and take of opera conducting, and set fast tempos that were largely inflexible, thus defying the singers to keep pace with him,

The cast, led by David Kuebler's Tamino and Dale Duesing's Papageno, sang with forthright directness and, in the latter's case, American-comic capering, but little vocal elegance. Lucia Popp's Pamina afforded the only glimpse of accomplished Mozart singing. Zdzislawa Donat's Queen of Night exists alone for its accurate staccato in alt; unfortunately for her, the two arias call for more. That difficult role of Sarastro exposes the limitations of Matti Salminen's bass, both in its upper reaches and in its lack of effortless legato.

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