The character Papageno enchanted the almost 2,000 students who enthusiastically cheered on the character, as sung by baritone Mark Stone in a memorable afternoon at the Academy of Music.
Participating students are encouraged to share their thoughts on the opera by posting their reviews here. All reviews, positive and negative, will be accepted, just make sure to include your first name, grade, and the school you attend. In order to be accepted onto the blog, all reviews must be at least 50 words or more.
Tell us what you liked about the story, the sets, your favorite character, or your favorite scene, and more.
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Comments
I really enjoyed going to "The Magic Flute" for many ways. One reason is the singing. I thought that it was awesome how the actors could project their voices so high or so low. I also thought that the costumes were really creative. My favorite character was Papageno because he was humorous and a great singer. I also thought that the Queen of the Night and Sarastro were really great singers because the Queen of the Night could get really high, and Sarastro could get really low.
I also really liked the moving hedges. I think that that was very creative way to switch scenes.
I liked the Magic Flute a lot. I thought the outfits were great, the music was fantastic, and the set was cool. I liked the queen of the night the best. I liked her the best because of her character and the music she sang. I also liked the beginning how it was like a smaller stage on a bigger one.
I enjoyed this opera tremendously and I hope to see one like this again!
The Magic Flute was a very exciting opera. I thought that the characters did well and the settings were good also. Though I thought the moving bushes were very distracting and I couldn’t see the text in English because it was to far above stage and I was on the back of the balcony. Though over all it was a very exciting performance.
I liked this opera very much. I haven't ever been to an opera before and was surprised at how well done it was. I really liked the instrumental part. It was really small compared to my schools band and orchestra, yet it was really loud! Never once did I have trouble hearing them. It was neat how I think there was an oboe in the orchestra. I really liked it and if you have haven't gone you really should!
A.Abdul-Hakim 7th grade Lingelbach
James.K 7th grade Lingelbach
A.Abdul-Hakim 7th grade Lingelbach
Evelyn A. 7th Grade Lingelbach
A. Young, 7th grade, Anna Lane Lingelbach Elementary
Ashley E. 7th Grade Lingelbach
The truth is the set designer is a genius.The plot was very realistic, the props were on point (not cheap), and the music was to die for.Overall I had a great time.
C.Shields 7th Lingelbach
Tori Dickens 7th Grade Lingelbach
T.Miles 7th grade Lingelbach
Jamea Richardson 7th Grade Lingelbach
Richard W 7th grade Lingelbach
Kieara M 7th grade Lingelbach
K.Figaro 7th garde Lingelbach
R.Rivera 7th grade Lingelbach
Martez Wortham 7th Grade Lingelbach
Richard Wright 7th Grade Lingelbach
S. Watson, 7th grade, Anna Lane Lingelbach
Grade 6
Bala Cynwyd Middle School
The opera was wonderful! I really liked the music, especially in the last and first scenes. Violetta is so brave and generous! Violetta's singing voice was so beautiful! It must be so hard for the actors to sing so loud and so well!
Grade 6
Bala Cynwyd Middle School
Opera Review
Violetta is a courtesan rejected by society, but when a man named Alfredo Germont loves her, she goes off to live with him. Alfredo’s father is not happy about this. He breaks them up and finally brings Alfredo and Violetta back together, right before Violetta dies.
The music carried the characters and action forward because sometimes it was loud and dramatic, and you could tell what the characters were trying to make you feel. When the characters sung, it was so passionate and beautiful that it was impossible not to listen. For example, I loved it when Germont sang to Violetta and told her to leave Alfredo. He sounded so grave and serious about the welfare of his family.
The costumes and sets definitely enhanced the fact that Violetta was rich at the beginning and poor at the end, and how rich courtesans were. You could also tell that by the costumes how women were treated in society back then. Nearly all the women in the play were wearing dresses the whole time, and were always accompanied by rich men.
The Opera La Traviata takes place in the 1950s, and it updates the setting the composer imagined. The change adds to the flair and power of the piece. The 1950s were so grand, and the setting reflected that in every way.
I would absolutely recommend this Opera to my friends and family because of its emotion and power. The music was amazing! Plus, the actors made me feel exactly like I knew I should. Though I still wouldn’t recommend it to some of my smaller siblings, because of the parties that are shown in the play.
8th Grade
Charles w. Henry School
The performance told the story dramatically in many different ways, so I can be engaged in the plot. The main character's in the opera where Viloetta,Alfredo. Violetta was suffering from a illness and Alfredo was a young man in love with Viloetta, but Alfredo's dad Giorgio didn't want his son to love and marry the courtesan Violetta because his daughter fiance told him they weren't going to get married if alfredo got married to violetta. So Giorgio told to leave Alfredo.
The music did carry the characters and action forward many times in the opera. The particular voices i like where Flora's, Alfredo and violetta's. Why i like Flora's and viloetta's is because they where sopranos but flora was more of a mezzo soprano. The duets that added to the conflict was Violetta and Giorgio. How the sets undermine the plot was they put it so if we where actually there. The costumes enhance the plot because they all dressed up like 1950's Paris , And the staging in the opera enhance the set, Because the props made the stage come alive.
The setting the composer imagined it has been updated. The change adds to the of the piece. The setting really can be played in any time period cause of props, Also the setting just cant be played as the 1800's cause the church censor it back then.
Last but not least I would recommend the performance to my friends and family because the performance had everything but Action and Adventure and also Horror. But it had Drama,Comedy,Suspense. Thats like a really great movie put into in opera. Also I will tell them about flora's party and the dancing and the conflict, lastly I would tell them about chandlers made out of crystals.
8th Grade
Charles W. Henry School
The La'Traviata was a great experience. The music was lovely. You could feel the vibe of what the characters were feeling by their voices. When Violetta and Alfredo sang together you could tell they were happy. When Alreado and his father sang together you could feel the anger and the pain Alreado felt. At The party in Paris Alfredo treated Violetta wrong. When this happened the party crowed around Alreado furiously and sang with so much power in their voices because of what he did. Back then it was non-manly to treat a women that way.
The sets were beautiful. The lighting went with each act;bright lights at parties, and dull lights in desperate times. The costumes were put together well. My favorite costume was Violetta dress in the beginning. It was surprising to see that the characters knew where to stand; it was a lot of people on one stage. I also loved how this was a rehearsal and it still went all the way through with no mishaps or mistakes.
1950's in paris was the setting of the opera. I believe it was a few changes from when it was first written. Back then they did not support homosexuality; it was not normal to people back then. The women and men were not able to mingle with each other let alone touch one another unless they were married. The way they changed the opera was interesting because I know from my studies they didn't support the things that was being showed in the opera.
I would definitely recommend a friend to see this opera. From the time you sit in your seats until the time you leave you will be into the opera. It was funny and also jaw dropping. Even though it had a sad ending the experience all together was great. I would like to thank all the adults who allowed me to have the opportunity to attend La'Traviata.
8th grade
Charles W. Henry school
Opera review
I loved seeing La Traviata! That was my first time going to see an opera. My favorite character in La Traviata was Violetta Valery. Violetta was my favorite character because in the opera she was a beautiful, independent woman who never wanted to have to depend on a man for what she needed. Sadly, the beloved Violetta was terribly sick with with tuberculosis but she kept a smile on her face and never let it worry her.
The music to the opera was beautiful and went perfectly with the songs that were sung. The characters hit every one of their notes amazingly with the orchestra. I think the music gave the opera more excitement and suspense. Some of the music expressed how the characters felt and showed the representation of the scenery. An example of the music going with the scenes is at the scene of the party, the music was very cheerful and upbeat, but at the end of the opera when Violetta was dying, the music was scarce and had a sad low tempo.
The sets, costumes, and staging were amazing. I thought that the costumes the characters wore were spot on. The sets the opera used were made very realistic, like I actually felt live we were in Paris. Throughout the opera, the costumes went with the scenes wonderfully and correctly. All together everything went positively great.
The opera officially was written in the 1800s in Italy but the setting was supposed to be in the 1950s in Paris. La Traviata did at first had a troubling beginning. It was censored by but still became very famous. They started out bad but rose to the top. The opera became very successful in its time.
I would definitely recommend the performance to my friends and family. I thought the performance was entertaining and an awesome show for everyone. At the show anyone and everyone who was there enjoyed the show as much as me. The people that i would recommend the performance to would absolutely fall in love with the opera. Therefore, I would recommend the performance to my friends and family.