Opening tonight at the Salzburg Festival is Peter von Winter's rarely-performed Das Labyrinth, a sequel to The Magic Flute with a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. Written to capitalise on the success of the earlier opera, Das Labyrinth includes further trials for Tamino and Pamina and the introduction of Papageno's family. The Queen of the Night and Sarastro return, and there's more beastly behaviour from Monostatos.
Looking at the photos below of Alexandra Liedtke's colourful production, you might not guess it's performed on a tiny outdoor stage. The courtyard of the Rezidenzhof (below) has been covered with a temporary roof just in case.
The music has been adapted by Ivor Bolton for his Mozarteumorchester, so it won't sound much like the old recording of the overture (artists unknown) below. The cast includes Christof Fischesser, Julia Novikova, Malin Hartelius, Michael Schade and Thomas Tatzl.
All production photos © Hans Jörg Michel
