Filled with ritual and symbolism, Mozart’s final masterpiece is a playful but profound look at man’s search for love and his struggle to attain wisdom and virtue. From the virtuosic arias of the Queen of the Night to the folksong-like melodies of the bird catcher Papageno, the full range of Mozart’s miraculous talent is on display in this magical fairy-tale opera, “designed gloriously by Gerald Scarfe” (San Francisco Examiner). Donald Runnicles conducts an enchanting cast headed by soprano Dina Kuznetsova, who is “a poignant Pamina, her dark, sumptuous tone lending an air of majesty to the performance” (San Francisco Chronicle); and the lauded lyric tenor Piotr Beczala, who “seems born for Tamino” singing with a voice “exactly of the right weight and timbre…. Hungarian soprano Erika Miklósa is superb as Queen of the Night…not only nailing the impossibly demanding coloratura acrobatics, but singing it beautifully as well” (San Francisco Examiner). As Papageno, Christopher Maltman is unmatched in his “vocal brio and theatrical flair…there was no resisting a performance this resplendent. [His] singing is impossibly rich, with a wealth of tonal color and plenty of easy power” (San Francisco Chronicle).