After a mixed bag in Munich, I returned to Glyndebourne following my successful trip earlier in the summer, this time for Die Entführung aus dem Serail, a lesser-performed Mozart opera. His operas can be hit or miss: some feel so modern, but others (looking at you, Idomeneo) end up being stiff, and you’re reminded that he was composing in the late 1700s. Director David McVicar understood the assignment and brought it as far into modern performing style as possible.
Technically, this “opera” is a singspiel, which means it’s closer to a musical (songs interspersed with spoken dialogue) than a traditional opera. Legend has it that Emperor Joseph II told the composer it had “too many notes, dear Mozart.” Apocryphal or not, it’s the exact opposite of how I feel. I’d be much happier if there were more notes (i.e., if the whole thing were sung). The constant switching between singing and speaking is what made it feel so “off” to me.
Let’s address the elephant in the room: the plot of European women (Konstanze and her maid Blonde) being held captive by a pasha in his seraglio/harem is not something that would be written today. The creative team tried their absolute best to be respectful of Ottoman culture via historically informed sets and costumes. Designer Vicki Mortimer was spot on, never slowing down the action while still being detailed and realistic (a rare combo).
They mostly succeeded, but part of the issue was the Pasha. McVicar expanded the role and cast a very charismatic actor (Franck Saurel) who spent much of the performance showing off his abs (which were admittedly quite impressive). However, he sometimes pulled it off a bit too well, making some of his scenes “wooing” Konstanze uncomfortably threatening. I think the direction was to play him more sympathetically, but he undermined himself.
Soprano Liv Redpath was hauntingly beautiful as Konstanze, the musical heart of the opera, and outdid herself in the 10-minute aria “Martern aller Arten.” (I’d previously seen her as Sophie in Der Rosenkavalier at Santa Fe Opera.) Even more remarkable, she nailed the singing while handling the scene’s physical acting.
The evening’s levity came from the madcap interactions between Blonde (a feisty soprano Julie Roset) and the Pasha’s overseer Osmin (well played by bass Michael Mofidian). After her star cameo as Fiakermilli in the Met’s Arabella, Roset stole the show again with her feminist pragmatism toward the men around her. Like Redpath, she had the pure tone Mozart demands.
I think the limitations of the plot will continue to keep this opera from being performed everywhere, but I enjoyed seeing Glyndebourne’s take. My only note for Mozart? More notes.
Opera: Die Entführung aus dem Serail
Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Venue: Glyndebourne Festival
Date: July 31, 2026
Link: https://www.glyndebourne.com/archive_production/die-entfuhrung-aus-dem-serail-glyndebourne-festival-2026/
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