£24.99
Diana Damrau might have brought the house down as the Queen of the Night - her astonishing performance of the opera's most famous aria has now racked up millions of views on YouTube - but the rest of the cast aren't bad either, especially Simon Keenlyside with his beautifully crafted interpretation of Papageno. On top of that, we have internationally renowned Mozart interpreter Sir Colin Davis conducting the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House in this, David McVicar's 2003 acclaimed production of Mozart's last opera.
Also available on Blu-ray and as part of a DVD box-set
Papageno: Simon Keenlyside
Papagena: Ailish Tynan
Pamina: Dorothea Röschmann
Tamino: Will Hartmann
Queen of the Night: Diana Damrau
Sarastro: Franz-Josef Selig
Speaker of the Temple: Thomas Allen
Royal Opera Chorus
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House
Conductor: Colin Davis
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Director: David McVicar
Designer: John Macfarlane
Lighting: Paule Constable
Choreography: Leah Hausman
Plus: Illustrated synopsis of the opera; BBC feature looking behind the scenes at the production; Conductor Colin Davis talking about Die Zauberflöte: 24-page illustrated booklet in English, French and German
Picture: 16:9
Sound: Dolby Surround / Dolby Stereo
Region code: 0 Worldwide
Format: NTSC
Running time: 185 mins
Recorded: 2003
Subtitles: EN/FR/ES/ [DE – Extras only]
"This production's slow journey from darkness into the light works well on the small screen, not least thanks to high-definition camera work and Sue Judd's inspired direction for television. The real magic, though, is supplied by the onstage cast... Simon Keenlyside's profoundly human, touchingly sympathetic view of Papageno deserves an Olivier Award." Classic FM