Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute)

The 2018/19 season, the first under new Artistic Director of Opera, ONO Kazushi, kicks off with a new production of Mozart's much-loved masterpiece Die Zauberflöte. Known as a Singspiel - a form of popular German musical drama with spoken dialogue - the work is full of familiar tunes including the dazzling, stratospheric aria of the Queen of the Night, Papageno's jolly Bird-Catcher's aria and the tuneful "Pa-pa-pa-pageno" duet.

For this season opening, the New National Theatre Tokyo presents South African visual artist William KENTRIDGE's celebrated staging which has been hailed around the world with huge successes at La Monnaie, La Scala, Aix-en-Provence Festival and elsewhere. Increasingly in demand as opera director, including at the Metropolitan Opera and Salzburg Festival, KENTRIDGE makes bold and imaginative use of animated film and projection, which has become a distinct feature of his work. It is the express wish of Artistic Director ONO, with decades of experience in European opera houses, to present this production which tackles contemporary issues yet is also visually pleasing and doesn't distract from the music.

Taking the baton is Roland BÖER who conducted KENTRIDGE's production at La Scala, and the cast includes notable international singers, Mozartian tenor Steve DAVISLIM (Tamino), rising baritone Andrè SCHUEN (Papageno) and young Serbian bass Sava VEMIC (Sarastro), alongside top-class Japanese singers.