The Magic Flute review - Triumphant opening to extraordinary festival at Nevill Holt

Something very special is happening at Nevill Holt this year. Opening night of The Magic Flute was a triumph, setting a high standard for this year’s quite remarkable festival scheduled to run until Wednesday June 26.

Director Melly Still insists her production is faithful to Mozart’s score; 32 players of the Britten Sinfonia spared no effort to reproduce Mozart’s great variety of orchestral colour, with Thomas Hancox distinguishing himself with excellent flute playing. Finnegan Downie Dear leads with a balance of exuberance and care. This Melly Still interpretation uses the fairytale world with an underlying morality play of human integrity surfacing at times. The cryptic number three is represented by threes of everything - three powerful opening chords, three dancers, three attendants to the Queen of the Night and three Genii.

As Queen of the Night, Nazan Fikret anchors the production with confident delivery; her daughter Pamina has been abducted. She sings her aria with distinction as the suffering mother. Olivia Warburton singing Pamina is light on her feet, portraying the role energetically and with careful articulation in her search to escape. Papageno and Papagena sung by Jonathan Eyers and Jasmine Flicker enjoy their roles even though they are required to wear the most outrageous costumes!

Bass Allen Michael Jones enhances his reputation with an exceptional effort as Sarastro as his long-lasting rivalry with the Queen of the Night continues.

A talented ensemble chorus is led from the pit by Finnegan Downie Dear as the action on stage zips along at a brisk pace with the fluidity of set an asset. Stephanie Greenslade had a field day with her costume designs, some very striking, some exotic, some verging on the preposterous! All help build an experience which Melly Still wants to be “enchanting and deeply engaging”.

Nevill Holt’s ambitious multi-arts festival with six performances of The Magic Flute, concert performances by Benjamin Grosvenor and Jeneba Kanneh-Mason, War Horse with Michael Morpurgo, plus a host of interviews, comedy and visual arts is an undertaking led by festival director James Dacre. This is quite an achievement!