Yesterday Boston’s WGBH   broadcasted the serial  Great Performances at the Met. It was very good program with the celebrated “I Puritani” with Anna Netrebko (that I do not care a lot) and surprisingly interesting the “First Emperor” with Placido Domingo. I would never listen this opera under a normal circumstances but looking at the stage work it become interesting not to mention some very exciting Mussorgsky-like, very wild and very raw harmonies.

The last opera in the broadcast was the “The Magic Flute”!!! I do not like this opera too much, watch it twice (probably only because I was in Vienna and nothing elks was available) live and would never go again, besied it had to be in English, who care!!!!  So, I did not have planes to watch the MET’s “The Magic Flute”, but still following my habits “shit happens” I pushed the button “record” on my video recorded and walked to solder the Melquiades. How little I knew what was coming!!!!

James Levane leading the MET opened the celebrated overture. I was in the another side of the room, submerged into Milq, burning my fingers with solder, noticed that it was not bed in fact it was very good. When the MET kicked in with the first act I glanced on the screen. The truly amassing things took place in there…. It was so different and so interesting that I sat in front TV for next 2 hour.

What a production!!!! The prod action was directed by Julie Taymor – “Dancing bears, flying birds, and even a giant serpent are all brought to life through Taymor's use of puppetry.” It was hardly operatic but it was so remarkably tasteful and so smart that it was devilishly enjoyable. MET converted a poor opera into a stunning Las Vegas show, injecting into it a Manhattan chick and mixing it with the pyshcedelicism  and abstraction of the Roger Waters’ “The Wall” production. Even the English and the Broadway-level singers were not impediment. Everything clicked absolutely perfectly and I felt like a Cat who found herself in a jar or sour cream. What a show!!! It was one of those broadcasters after whish I was tempted to call WGBH  and donate them more money… 

James Levane and MET were very good... The singers: baritone Nathan Gunn as Papageno (shown), soprano Erika Miklosa as the Queen of the Night, bass Rene Pape as Sarastro, soprano Ying Huang as Pamina, tenor Matthew Polenzani as Tamino, tenor Greg Fedderly as Monostatos, and soprano Jennifer Aylmer as Papagena.