Mozart’s ‘The Magic Flute’ Premieres at the Delaware Valley Opera

LAKE HUNTINGTON, N.Y. – Mozart’s The Magic Flute is one of the best-known operas ever written, but you don’t have to be an opera expert to enjoy it.

Delaware Valley Opera in Lake Huntington is bringing the fairy-tale classic to audiences this August, with magic, comedy, memorable music and a story about the search for a better world. The production follows the story of Prince Tamino’s quest for truth and takes attendees on a journey of dazzling visuals and fairy-tale magic.

“The Magic Flute, at its base level, is about the difference between good and evil, light and darkness,” said Suzanne Dvorken, President of the Delaware Valley Opera Board of Directors.

The opera includes a host of mystical characters, including dragons and a wacky bird-catcher. While Mozart wrote the opera more than 200 years ago, Dvorken says the production still carries universal themes about good and evil and love that translates to the modern era.

“Everybody wants to be loved. Pamina, who is the daughter of the Queen of the Night, she doesn’t necessarily want to be like her mother. She wants to be different. We can all relate to that, and it’s all woven in the story,” said Dvorken. “As I keep saying, the music is gorgeous, but it is.”

Dvorken says the local production brings together a cast of local and international performers – an incredible feat for a smaller rural company in New York.

The Magic Flute premieres at the Delaware Valley Opera in Lake Huntington on Saturday, Aug. 15 at 7 p.m. and will also run on Aug. 22 at 7 p.m. and Aug. 16 and Aug. 23 at 2 p.m.

You can find tickets on MyRiverTickets.com or on Delaware Valley Opera’s website.

Image: Stage set by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for an 1815 production (Karl Friedrich Schinkel / Delaware Valley Opera)