"The Magic Flute," an opera filled with magic and imagery – as well as symbols and rituals beholden to the masons – will be performed this weekend at a most perfect venue – the Scottish Rite Temple, which is the columned meeting place of the famed secret society itself.
The setting is apt, the opera was written by two Freemason’s – Mozart and his librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder, notes Elaine Rinaldi, the founder and conductor of Orchestra Miami, which performs the opera this weekend.
“The Magic Flute” is also extremely accessible, notes Rinaldi, as it employs a musical device called Singspiel, a blend of song and story, “which was very much (an 18th century) version of today’s Broadway musical,” she says.
Told in the form of a fable, the “Magic Flute” employs animals, (in this case, costumed actors), a “magic flute,” and even a “snake monster,” says Rinaldi, declining to describe that creature, so as to not spoil the surprise.
Also, although originally written in German, the orchestra's production will be performed in English, according to Rinaldi.
The production is part of the orchestra’s “Discover Miami Through Music,” a series that has brought musical productions to a wide variety of venues, including the Ancient Spanish Monastery, the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, and Miami High School, which was once the city’s only performance venue.
But the Scottish Rite Temple is a particular gem, says Rinaldi. Erected in 1922, the temple is a City of Miami-designated “historic resource.” Designed by the prominent architectural firm of Kiehnel and Elliot, it is listed by the American Institute of Architects,” among “Florida Top 100 Buildings,” which describes it as “an early harbinger of Modernism in Miami.”
The building also boasts an acoustically perfect 900-seat auditorium – complete with an orchestra pit, which had not been used since the 1950s, except by the organization’s members.
“I started knocking on their door, they allowed us to do it, and it was a huge success,” says Rinaldi of that first concert, “Masonic Mozart.” In fact, it inspired the masons to invest over $1 million and offer the venue for rentals. “It really is spectacular,” she says.
“But the first thing the masons had asked me is “When are you going to do ‘Magic Flute,’” she says. “After all, it is the Masonic opera, and it’s filled with masonic symbolism, but I wasn’t ready until they renovated,” she says.
In fact, the members are so enthusiastic about this weekend’s coming productions, they are allowing Rinaldi to use their collection of 73 hand painted theatrical backdrops, which depict the various masonic rituals, she notes.
The two-act opera will be performed under the direction of David Grabarkewitz, an Emmy winner, who was formerly the resident director of the New York City Opera at Lincoln Center.
The cast includes:
Gregory Schmidt (Tamina): An American lyric tenor who performs regularly with the Metropolitan Opera, and who last year made his main stage debut there in the role of Arbace in Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” His other recent engagements include the Duke (“Rigoletto,”), with the Crested Butte Music Festival in Crested Butte, Mont.; Don Ramiro (“La Cenerentola”) with the Madison Opera in Madison, Wisc., and the Tulsa Opera in Tulsa, Okla.
Yunah Lee (Pamina): A lyric soprano whom “Opera News,” has hailed for her “handsomely colored full lyric sound,” Lee made her debut in “Madama Butterfly,” a role that has become her signature, and which she has performed more than 160 times throughout the U.S. and elsewhere in the world as well. She has also performed a variety of other operatic roles, including Mimi in the New York City Opera’s production of La Bohème.
Gabriel Preisser (Papageno): A baritone, Preisser was hailed by “Opera News,” for his “handsome voice, charismatic energy and timbral allure.” His resume includes over 40 operatic and musical theater roles, and he also created the role of Lt. Gordon in Kevin Puts’ Pulitzer Prize winning “Silent Night,” at the Minnesota Opera, which was broadcast nationally on PBS, and for which he received a rave review in the “The New York Times.”
Neil Nelson (Sarastro): This Jamaica-born bass baritone has performed operatic roles with Boston Lyric Opera and the Boston Symphony Orchestra in Boston; the Palm Beach Opera in West Palm Beach, Fla.; the Opera Theatre of St. Louis, and also the Orlando Opera, The New York Harlem Opera Theater and the Tartar State Opera Theater in Kazan, Russia.
The production also introduces Melissa Ruiz as “Queen of the Night,” a Miami native and graduate of the New World School of the Arts, who is making her professional debut. She was a finalist at the prestigious MacAllister Awards, a national vocal competition, as well as in the Junior Division of Palm Beach Opera's annual Vocal Competition and the Ars Flores Concerto Competition held at Nova Southeastern University in Davie.
“The Magic Flute,” is often performed as a way to introduce children to classical music, especially because it is a rarity among other operas, notes Rinaldi. “It has a happy ending – nobody dies.”
“The Magic Flute” will be performed Friday, May 11 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, May 12 at 2 p.m., with a special children’s matinee on Saturday, May 12 at 2 p.m., at the Scottish Rite Temple, 471 NW 3rd St., Miami, Fla., 33128. Admission is $20-$40 in advance, and $10 for children; $25-$45 at the door, $15 for children. The Saturday matinee includes a meet-and-greet with the cast afterwards. More info: www.orchestramiami.org.
