The Los Angeles County Museum of Art presents the World Premiere of Frances Stark’s THE MAGIC FLUTE, a new film version of Mozart’s opera wherein the vocal element has been removed—the aria melodies will be played by a group of young musicians, not sung—and the audience will access the libretto via title cards.

“With the libretto as the central visual focus, the melody becomes the bouncing ball in the viewer’s head, and therefore the viewer inhabits each character….I’m trying to make THE MAGIC FLUTE unfold for people very directly and joyously. It isn’t about clever redressing or anything, it’s really about the bare bones of the opera having the capacity to engage you. The accessibility of the opera was based on its high-low conceit.” — Frances Stark

Stark updated the libretto to fit the refigured score, which has been adapted by conductor Danko Drusko. Producer-arranger H.B. Barnum recorded and mixed the music.

 THE MAGIC FLUTE, Friday, April 28 at 7 pm. Sold out. Stand-by line forms outside theater at 6:30 pm.

LACMA, Bing Theater, Los Angeles

lacma.org/event/magic-flute

In New York City, the 2017 WHITNEY BIENNIAL features a suite of new paintings by Stark.

WHITNEY BIENNIAL 2017, through June 11.

WHITNEY MUSEUM OF AMERICAN ART, 99 Gansevoort Street, New York City.

whitney.org/Exhibitions/2017Biennial

See “And Then There Were None: Frances Stark and A.L. Steiner in Conversation with Dorothée Perret,” PARIS LA 14, Winter 2016:

francesstark.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/And-Then-There-Were-None.pdf

Frances Stark, during the production of The Magic Flute.
Image credit: Alexa Karolinski