Peter von Winter – Das Labyrinth
Christof Fischesser; Julia Novikova;
Malin Hartelius; Michael Schade;
Thomas Tatzi; Mozarteumorchester Salzburg; Ivor Bolton
ArtHaus Musik 101 677
If you did not know that The Magic Flute had a sequel, you are not alone. Despite the three decades of successful productions after its 1798 premiere in Vienna, Das Labyrinth disappeared from the stages, it seemed, for good. After the success of The Magic Flute, Emanuel Schikaneder, ever the impresario and driven by profit as often as by art alone, sensed the public’s appetite for more. The libretto was the easy part — still fantastical and baroque, and yet more down to earth in character descriptions, making them more ambiguous and human. But what of the music? With Mozart’s death, it wasn’t possible to find another composing genius to take on the task. Enter Peter von Winter, acclaimed composer of the era, in service to the Bavarian court. He took a surprisingly fresh approach — only a few homages to Mozart, a playful re-interpretation of Papageno’s tune, but other than that — original, definitely romantic music.
Truth be told, the re-animated Queen of the Night does not scale coloraturas comparable to those of Mozart. Neither is Sarastro the stentorian announcer of what’s right and true. The frantic set changes were Schikaneder’s way of dazzling the audience and seem unnecessary now. This Salzburg production, only the second this century, however, proves that Das Labyrinth is a worthy companion piece and ideally presented side by side, or more cheek by jowl, with The Magic Flute — as Schikaneder intended.
It may yet happen — there are two new productions of the opera planned for this season in North America alone!
