This live Magic Flute is delightfully, lightly led by Claudio Abbado. Even the opera's darker moments---the scenes at the Temple, etc.---are treated nimbly; there's no hint of Otto Klemperer's approach to be found here. The Papageno is somewhat faceless, and while the Queen of the Night sings accurately and delivers her recitatives with real drama, she, too, is not up to the best on discs. But the recording sports the finest Tamino since Stuart Burrows and Fritz Wunderlich in Christophe Strehl, a tenor with both lyricism and plangency built in to his voice. Dorothea Röschmann is a simply glorious Pamina, strong of voice but sensitive and girlish as well, and René Pape's Sarastro sets a new standard. The Three Ladies don't always sing on key. Orchestra and Chorus are superb. Despite these criticisms, the three leads and Abbado are enough to make this a fine recommendation. --Robert Levine