-
Mozart: The Magic Flute
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 10 mins
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed
Prime members: New to Audible?Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Mozart: The Magic Flute
Buy for $6.08
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
Listeners also enjoyed...
-
Puccini: La Bohème
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
La Bohème is one of the three operas - the others are Carmen and Aida - believed to be the most popular ever written. In the case of La Bohème the reason is that it virtually defines the term "romantic". The poignant story of Mimì and Rodolfo is told in music of such tender beauty, allied, as always, to Puccini’s intuition of what works in the theatre. The result is an opera that readily appeals to our emotions and senses.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Many opera-lovers would name The Marriage of Figaro as their favorite opera. It appeals to the most intellectual listener, but also to music-lovers seeking great melodies and ensembles (while it remains accessible through its fascinating plot and memorable characters) and to those seeking only entertainment. One of three operas by Mozart to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte, it represents one of the pinnacles not just of operatic but of human achievement.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not the audio that it promised.
- By Chelsea on 01-22-16
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Verdi: Il Trovatore
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Il Trovatore has been ruthlessly parodied. It is a tale of murder and mayhem, burned babies, roasted hags, would-be nuns, strolling minstrels, and bad baritones. And indeed the libretto does call for a willing suspension of disbelief. The reward is in the music, a score as prodigally melodic as only the mature Verdi could write: the "Anvil" chorus, the "Miserere" scene, two great tenor arias, a beautiful baritone aria - a richness without embarrassment.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
La sonnambula
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
La sonnambula was written by Bellini as a vehicle for two of the supreme singers of his age and accordingly is a fine example of the school we call bel canto, where beauty of voice and the virtuosity of the singers is integral to conveying the emotions in the soul of the composer. The fact that Bellini was one of the great melodists, writing long, beautiful vocal lines, that he was a master orchestrator and that he could write stirringly for the chorus all conspire to make La sonnambula extremely enjoyable.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
La Traviata
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
La Traviata owes its enduring popularity to a superb story of young love and fatal sacrifice, set to music by Italy’s master melodist at the peak of his powers. Interest and poignancy are added by the fact that this is a true story - the baritone ‘heavy’ is Alexander Dumas who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. But it is the central figure, the heroine Violetta, the archetypal ‘whore with the heart of gold’ who dominates the piece. It is her opera and we love her for it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Superb Synopsis
- By opera4steph on 02-04-21
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Mozart: Così Fan Tutte
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
especially fun before a performance
- By EmilyK on 03-11-18
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Puccini: La Bohème
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
La Bohème is one of the three operas - the others are Carmen and Aida - believed to be the most popular ever written. In the case of La Bohème the reason is that it virtually defines the term "romantic". The poignant story of Mimì and Rodolfo is told in music of such tender beauty, allied, as always, to Puccini’s intuition of what works in the theatre. The result is an opera that readily appeals to our emotions and senses.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Many opera-lovers would name The Marriage of Figaro as their favorite opera. It appeals to the most intellectual listener, but also to music-lovers seeking great melodies and ensembles (while it remains accessible through its fascinating plot and memorable characters) and to those seeking only entertainment. One of three operas by Mozart to libretti by Lorenzo da Ponte, it represents one of the pinnacles not just of operatic but of human achievement.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Not the audio that it promised.
- By Chelsea on 01-22-16
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Verdi: Il Trovatore
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Il Trovatore has been ruthlessly parodied. It is a tale of murder and mayhem, burned babies, roasted hags, would-be nuns, strolling minstrels, and bad baritones. And indeed the libretto does call for a willing suspension of disbelief. The reward is in the music, a score as prodigally melodic as only the mature Verdi could write: the "Anvil" chorus, the "Miserere" scene, two great tenor arias, a beautiful baritone aria - a richness without embarrassment.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
La sonnambula
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 5
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 5
La sonnambula was written by Bellini as a vehicle for two of the supreme singers of his age and accordingly is a fine example of the school we call bel canto, where beauty of voice and the virtuosity of the singers is integral to conveying the emotions in the soul of the composer. The fact that Bellini was one of the great melodists, writing long, beautiful vocal lines, that he was a master orchestrator and that he could write stirringly for the chorus all conspire to make La sonnambula extremely enjoyable.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
La Traviata
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 27
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 26
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 27
La Traviata owes its enduring popularity to a superb story of young love and fatal sacrifice, set to music by Italy’s master melodist at the peak of his powers. Interest and poignancy are added by the fact that this is a true story - the baritone ‘heavy’ is Alexander Dumas who wrote The Count of Monte Cristo. But it is the central figure, the heroine Violetta, the archetypal ‘whore with the heart of gold’ who dominates the piece. It is her opera and we love her for it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Superb Synopsis
- By opera4steph on 02-04-21
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Mozart: Così Fan Tutte
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Così Fan Tutte contains some of Mozart’s most sublime music. On one level, the opera is purely a social anecdote about young people falling in and out of love; but Mozart was a supreme sensualist and a great humanist, and invested the tale with all his understanding of humanity and young love. In this title, David Timson refutes the charge that Mozart squandered his genius on a work full of trivial nonsense and proves this "miraculous yet problematic" opera to be a great work of theatre. To listen to this thought-provoking examination of the characters and the music is both thoroughly enriching and great fun.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
especially fun before a performance
- By EmilyK on 03-11-18
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Tancredi
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 4
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 3
Rossini’s comic operas, like The Barber of Seville, are better known than his tragedies though he wrote in fact many more tragedies than comedies. One of them, his last, William Tell, is actually credited with launching the whole age of Grand Opéra. Tancredi is an early work - indeed his first smash hit - and it established his international fame.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Orfeo: Opera Explained
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 17 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 3
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 3
Monteverdi’s Orfeo, first performed in 1607, generates a special excitement because it is the first unquestioned masterpiece of opera. Notable for its precise orchestration and powerful drama it was a groundbreaking work. It concerns the legend of Orpheus, the demigod whose music had the power to conquer the forces of Hell and to bring his wife back, briefly, to life. The extracts used in this introduction are from Naxos’ full recording; it uses authentic period instruments, which serve to evoke the early Baroque period of the opera’s composition.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
The Barber of Seville
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 20
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 20
The Barber of Seville is Rossini’s most popular opera. Its effervescent overture (written originally for another work!) presents a perfect platform for the amusing plot in which the barber, Figaro, stage-manages a romance between Count Almaviva and Rosina, and puts to flight the old suitor, Dr Bartolo. "Largo al Factotum" is one of the most popular arias in opera - nearly 200 years after its first performance it is still one of the great show-stoppers.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
To the point with a nice narrator
- By Jimena on 03-07-22
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Don Giovanni
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 23
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 22
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 22
Don Giovanni has long been regarded as Mozart’s supreme theatrical achievement. The subject seems unpromising - the last day in the life of the notorious womanizer Don Juan - but the skill of the librettist allied to the genius of Mozart at the very peak of his powers has created a work which is not only highly entertaining but reflects an incredible understanding of the human condition.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Very short introductions to specific operas!
- By Doggy Bird on 02-09-14
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Verdi: Rigoletto
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 16
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 15
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 15
Rigoletto is simply wonderful entertainment with superb music. It is also much more - a daring (for its time) attack on aristocratic privilege, a tender love story, and an impassioned appeal on behalf of the disadvantaged, all set to music of such wealth and beauty that, with its sister operas La traviata and Il trovatore, it has defined Italian opera for 150 years. Overcoming initial trouble with the censors, Verdi's Rigoletto was a smash hit at its premiere and has not been out of the repertoire since. It’s not hard to see why.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fun intro (or recap) of the opera
- By EmilyK on 05-24-18
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Leoncavallo: Pagliacci
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 1 min
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 7
Pagliacci may be the most completely compelling short opera in the repertory and owes much of its impact to a brilliant story based, it is said, on true life and told through the device of a play-within-a-play. The action is set in Calabria in the deep south of Italy where the jealousies and illicit passions of a troupe of strolling actors precisely intersect with the play they are performing - to both touching and tragic effect.
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Carmen
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 5 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 19
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 18
Carmen is among the most popular operas for all the obvious reasons: great characters, a gripping story, and fabulous music. But what sets it on a pinnacle is an amazing combination of three factors: a sizzling Gipsy heroine (one of the most psychologically complex and compelling characters in all theatre), great atmosphere (Spain, hot sun, the bull-ring), and the prodigality of melodic invention - one great tune after another, at least a dozen of which are the staples of Madison Avenue and the animated cartoon.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Passion, power, and truth
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-08-13
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Die Fledermaus
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 9
Die Fledermaus is one of the few operatic works to which the phrase "never a dull moment" can be truthfully applied. From the explosive opening of the famous overture - reminiscent of a volley of champagne corks - through the surging energy of the "Fledermaus Waltz" and the many comic numbers, of which the accelerando trio is the finest, up to such huge concerted numbers as the "Duidu" finale to Act II, this is an operetta which almost incarnates nostalgia. Thomson Smillie and David Timson infuse their exploration of Die Fledermaus with as much life as the operetta itself.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Revenge of the bat
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-08-13
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Cavalleria Rusticana
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 16 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 10
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 9
Cavalleria rusticana is the short opera that has all the elements of a grand opera compressed into a single highly dramatic time span. The story of love, lust, blood-feud, and betrayal played out against the pageantry of the Easter celebrations in a Sicilian village delivers an emotional wallop because of the youthful vigor and musical wealth of its great score which includes the glorious "Easter Hymn" and the deeply moving "Intermezzo". Mascagni was never to repeat his youthful success but this brief work is enough to ensure his immortality.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Enjoy the opera as it was meant to be
- By Essam on 04-05-15
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Fidelio
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 9
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 9
Fidelio is a work like no other. Beethoven’s only opera is about the joy of married love - by a man who never knew that pleasure. It is about heroism by a man who was often mean and petty in his human relations; it is about freedom by a man who was a prisoner of his own deafness; and ultimately it is about joy by a man who experienced precious little of it.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Beethoven's only opera in all its glory
- By Adeliese Baumann on 04-20-13
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Puccini: Turandot
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 19 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 21
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 17
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 17
Puccini’s swansong has a claim to being the last great popular opera. Its melodies have enchanted audiences since its posthumous premiere in 1926, two years after Puccini’s death. It involves a chilling story of love and cruelty, an intriguing cast of characters against the exotic backdrop of Imperial China, magnificent choruses and ensembles, and dazzling orchestration in an exotic score that comprises a string of remarkable arias - among which the great tenor aria "Nessun dorma" is the jewel. It is more than Puccini’s last opera: It is the last word, in every sense, on Italian opera.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Fire and ice, hope and blood
- By Adeliese Baumann on 12-05-13
By: Thomson Smillie
-
Verdi: Falstaff
- By: Thomson Smillie
- Narrated by: David Timson
- Length: 1 hr and 18 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 6
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 6
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 6
Verdi’s Falstaff repays careful study with real pleasure. It is opera’s happiest irony that the great Italian master should cap a career - distinguished for its blood-and-thunder tragic masterpieces - with the greatest comic opera in the Italian repertory. The genius of Shakespeare is harnessed (in a miracle of compression) by master-librettist Boito to give the 80-year-old Verdi a superb libretto, on which he lavished more wonderful tunes than most composers manage in a lifetime.
By: Thomson Smillie
Editorial reviews
Thomson Smillie’s series of Opera Explained audiobooks on individual operatic works is the perfect introduction for the would-be opera fan. Each title in the series runs about an hour, features plenty of recorded clips, and is narrated with pluck and good humor by David Timson. Your opera education starts here.
There is little question that Mozart was the greatest musical genius who has ever lived. In The Magic Flute, his final opera before his untimely death, Mozart gives full voice to the philosophic underpinnings of his profound work. With magical and courtly elements, The Magic Flute is also an apology for Enlightenment thinking, and is one of the most-performed operas worldwide every year. There is no better introduction than this audiobook performance.
Publisher's summary
The Magic Flute almost defines a masterpiece, because it can be enjoyed on every level. It is a superb fairy story, complete with dragons, demons, a handsome prince, and a lovely maiden seriously in need of rescue; it is a political satire, social commentary, and psychological drama; it is full of tunes from the playful to the heart-stopping, jolly songs, and deeply spiritual outpourings. It is, in short, "Mozart" - and there is no greater compliment than that.
This production gives us a wonderful insight into possibly the most remarkable work ever written for the stage. Beginning with an enticing overview of Mozart’s astonishing output, David Timson then takes us through The Magic Flute with infectious pleasure at every turn of genius. From the delightfully comic Papageno "rudely trying to sing with his mouth full of padlock" to the Queen of the Night’s "Vengeance" aria, we enjoy the full spectrum of dramatic situations.
More from the same
Related to this topic
-
Mr. K and the Flowers
- By: Nassim Soleimanpour
- Narrated by: Maz Jobrani, Simon McBurney, Urs Jucker, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 73
It’s the middle of the night in Tehran when Michael arrives at the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Shima. He finds her anxiously awaiting a mysterious visitor and fears he’s interrupted a tryst, only to gradually learn that the truth is much stranger and more sinister. What follows is a series of cunning detours in this atmospheric and elusive odyssey that challenges expectations and assumptions at every turn.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Da Fuk?
- By Chad on 03-29-24
-
Sorry for Your Loss
- By: Michael Cruz Kayne
- Length: 1 hr and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,189
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,108
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,106
A sidesplitting, heartrending look at life—and death. This powerfully personal production, recorded live from the Minetta Lane Theatre, cuts through the platitudes, directly reaching out to anyone who has ever experienced loss—or will. So...everyone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Must Listen for the Grieving
- By Chris on 09-25-23
-
Song of the Northwoods
- By: Jessica Huang
- Narrated by: Michele Selene Ang, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Emma Kikue, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,808
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,497
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,486
After a betrayal at work costs Song Kuan her job, she retreats to her friend Lucy’s idyllic family cabin on a lake in Minnesota to lick her wounds. She devotes herself to recording Ice Cold Cases, a true-crime podcast that she and Lucy cohost with the gleeful energy of obsessed fans—until an anonymous tip about a missing-person case disrupts their equilibrium. Then Lucy disappears, leaving Song alone in an unfriendly and unfamiliar town where locals don’t take kindly to strangers asking questions.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Asians in MN! I loved it. The vivid sounds of Northern Minnesota totally took me there, and I was hooked into the mystery.
- By Sheila Morris on 04-26-22
By: Jessica Huang
-
A Streetcar Named Desire
- By: Tennessee Williams
- Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,173
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,042
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,034
With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Classic With Fresh Insight
- By T. B. Shafir on 12-04-20
-
Lucy
- By: Erica Schmidt
- Narrated by: Brooke Bloom, Lynn Collins, Charlotte Surak
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 1,020
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 964
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 962
Ashling is every busy parent’s dream: a professional nanny with experience and a warm, sunny attitude. But from the moment Mary hires her to look after her young children, things start to feel just a little...off. Are Mary’s stressful work schedule and lack of sleep playing games with her own sanity, or has she welcomed an unstable troublemaker into her home?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not sure what the point was
- By Kari on 09-21-23
By: Erica Schmidt
-
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon
- Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
- By: David McGowan
- Narrated by: Bill Fike
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 773
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 645
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 648
The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place where a dizzying array of musical artists congregated to create much of the music that provided the soundtrack to those turbulent times. But there was a dark side to that scene as well. Many didn't make it out alive, and many of those deaths remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My first review. This book changed me.
- By Robert on 06-30-19
By: David McGowan
-
Mr. K and the Flowers
- By: Nassim Soleimanpour
- Narrated by: Maz Jobrani, Simon McBurney, Urs Jucker, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 41 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall3 out of 5 stars 74
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 73
-
Story3 out of 5 stars 73
It’s the middle of the night in Tehran when Michael arrives at the apartment of his ex-girlfriend, Shima. He finds her anxiously awaiting a mysterious visitor and fears he’s interrupted a tryst, only to gradually learn that the truth is much stranger and more sinister. What follows is a series of cunning detours in this atmospheric and elusive odyssey that challenges expectations and assumptions at every turn.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Da Fuk?
- By Chad on 03-29-24
-
Sorry for Your Loss
- By: Michael Cruz Kayne
- Length: 1 hr and 23 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,189
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,108
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,106
A sidesplitting, heartrending look at life—and death. This powerfully personal production, recorded live from the Minetta Lane Theatre, cuts through the platitudes, directly reaching out to anyone who has ever experienced loss—or will. So...everyone.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
A Must Listen for the Grieving
- By Chris on 09-25-23
-
Song of the Northwoods
- By: Jessica Huang
- Narrated by: Michele Selene Ang, Quincy Dunn-Baker, Emma Kikue, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 48 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 3,808
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 3,497
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 3,486
After a betrayal at work costs Song Kuan her job, she retreats to her friend Lucy’s idyllic family cabin on a lake in Minnesota to lick her wounds. She devotes herself to recording Ice Cold Cases, a true-crime podcast that she and Lucy cohost with the gleeful energy of obsessed fans—until an anonymous tip about a missing-person case disrupts their equilibrium. Then Lucy disappears, leaving Song alone in an unfriendly and unfamiliar town where locals don’t take kindly to strangers asking questions.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Asians in MN! I loved it. The vivid sounds of Northern Minnesota totally took me there, and I was hooked into the mystery.
- By Sheila Morris on 04-26-22
By: Jessica Huang
-
A Streetcar Named Desire
- By: Tennessee Williams
- Narrated by: Carla Gugino, Audra McDonald
- Length: 2 hrs and 52 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,173
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 1,042
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,034
With Emmy, Grammy, and six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald as Blanche DuBois alongside Carla Gugino as Stella, O’Hara takes a fresh and visceral look at the emotionally charged relationship between these two iconic sisters. Haunted by her past, Blanche seeks refuge with Stella and Stanley (Ariel Shafir) in New Orleans, where she wrestles with the nature of her sister’s husband, her sister’s denial, and her own unraveling mind.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Classic With Fresh Insight
- By T. B. Shafir on 12-04-20
-
Lucy
- By: Erica Schmidt
- Narrated by: Brooke Bloom, Lynn Collins, Charlotte Surak
- Length: 1 hr and 28 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall2.5 out of 5 stars 1,020
-
Performance3.5 out of 5 stars 964
-
Story2.5 out of 5 stars 962
Ashling is every busy parent’s dream: a professional nanny with experience and a warm, sunny attitude. But from the moment Mary hires her to look after her young children, things start to feel just a little...off. Are Mary’s stressful work schedule and lack of sleep playing games with her own sanity, or has she welcomed an unstable troublemaker into her home?
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Not sure what the point was
- By Kari on 09-21-23
By: Erica Schmidt
-
Weird Scenes Inside the Canyon
- Laurel Canyon, Covert Ops, and the Dark Heart of the Hippie Dream
- By: David McGowan
- Narrated by: Bill Fike
- Length: 14 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 773
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 645
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 648
The very strange but nevertheless true story of the dark underbelly of a 1960s hippie utopia. Laurel Canyon in the 1960s and early 1970s was a magical place where a dizzying array of musical artists congregated to create much of the music that provided the soundtrack to those turbulent times. But there was a dark side to that scene as well. Many didn't make it out alive, and many of those deaths remain shrouded in mystery to this day.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
My first review. This book changed me.
- By Robert on 06-30-19
By: David McGowan
-
Ayoade on Top
- By: Richard Ayoade
- Narrated by: Richard Ayoade
- Length: 4 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 1,204
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 1,069
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 1,065
At last, the definitive audiobook about perhaps the best cabin crew dramedy ever filmed: View from the Top starring Gwyneth Paltrow. In Ayoade on Top, Richard Ayoade, perhaps one of the most 'insubstantial' people of our age, takes us on a journey from Peckham to Paris by way of Nevada and other places we don't care about. It's a journey deep within, in a way that's respectful and non-invasive; a journey for which we will all pay a heavy price, even if you've waited for the smaller paperback edition. Ayoade argues for the canonisation of this brutal masterpiece.
-
1 out of 5 stars
-
Listened for an hour and a half, didn't laugh once
- By Wesley on 12-13-19
By: Richard Ayoade
-
In Love & Struggle, Vol. 3: The Future Is Around Us
- By: The Meteor
- Narrated by: Cree Summer, Zainab Johnson, Amanda Seales, and others
- Length: 1 hr and 15 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars 7
-
Story5 out of 5 stars 7
Created by The Meteor, In Love and Struggle, Vol. 3 brings together a group of visionary Black women and nonbinary people for a series of unforgettable evenings filled with storytelling, music, comedy, and monologues. This year’s theme is inspired by science-fiction writer Octavia Butler and other futurists, featuring an outstanding, eclectic, wildly creative cast.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Powerful
- By Nicole on 04-16-24
By: The Meteor
-
Coreyography
- By: Corey Feldman
- Narrated by: Corey Feldman
- Length: 8 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,802
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,528
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,523
In this brave and moving memoir, Corey Feldman is revealing the truth about what his life was like behind the scenes: His is a past that included physical, drug, and sexual abuse, a dysfunctional family from which he was emancipated at age fifteen, three high-profile arrests for drug possession, a nine-month stint in rehab, and a long, slow crawl back to the top of the box office.
-
4 out of 5 stars
-
Didn't like the Two Coreys, but liked this.
- By ricketsj on 04-29-14
By: Corey Feldman
-
Center of the YOUniverse
- By: Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski
- Narrated by: Tituss Burgess, Jane Krakowski
- Length: 1 hr and 24 mins
- Original Recording
-
Overall4 out of 5 stars 71
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 68
-
Story4 out of 5 stars 68
Center of the YOUniverse is an out-of-this-world spectacle starring Tituss Burgess and Jane Krakowski with music, laughter, and (probably) the salvation of humanity from its self-inflicted doom. Unaware of just how brightly the other one shines, Tituss and Jane will attempt the impossible: a double-booking. In a unique blend of song and storytelling, they’ll stop at nothing to upstage each other and steal the spotlight…until they realize the true purpose of being ridiculously attractive and having immeasureble talent: to unite and heal the world.
-
2 out of 5 stars
-
Yikes, it had potential but…
- By Chantal Noordeloos on 12-27-23
By: Tituss Burgess, and others
-
The Chris Farley Show
- A Biography in Three Acts
- By: Tom Farley, Tanner Colby
- Narrated by: Therese Plummer, L. J. Ganser, Mark Boyett
- Length: 9 hrs and 51 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall4.5 out of 5 stars 2,344
-
Performance4.5 out of 5 stars 2,082
-
Story4.5 out of 5 stars 2,069
The New York Times best-selling biography of an American comedy legend. After three years of sobriety, Chris Farley's life was at its creative peak until a string of professional disappointments chased him back to drugs and alcohol. He fought hard against them, but it was a fight he would lose in December 1997. Farley's fans immediately drew parallels between his death and that of his idol, John Belushi. Without looking deeper, however, many failed to see that Farley was much more than just another Hollywood drug overdose. In this officially authorized oral history, Farley's friends and family remember his work and life.
-
5 out of 5 stars
-
Incredibly sad....
- By Marie B on 04-12-15
By: Tom Farley, and others
-
The Way I See It
- A Look Back at My Life on Little House
- By: Melissa Anderson
- Narrated by: Jane Pfitsch
- Length: 6 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall3.5 out of 5 stars 530
-
Performance4 out of 5 stars 494
-
Story3.5 out of 5 stars 491
From age 11, in 1974, until she left the show, in 1981, Melissa Anderson literally grew up before the viewers of Little House on the Prairie. Melissa, as Mary, is remembered by many as the blind sister - and she was the only actor in the series to be nominated for an Emmy. In The Way I See It, she takes listeners onto the set and inside the world of the iconic series created by Michael Landon, who, Melissa discovered, was not perfect, as much as he tried to be. In this memoir she also shares her memories of working with guest stars like Todd Bridges, Mariette Hartley, Sean Penn, Patricia Neal, and Johnny Cash.
-
3 out of 5 stars
-
self serving
- By Tina L. on 02-24-20
By: Melissa Anderson
What listeners say about Mozart: The Magic Flute
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall2 out of 5 stars
-
Performance5 out of 5 stars
-
Story2 out of 5 stars
- Adeliese Baumann
- 04-19-13
The sublime and the ridiculous
Die Zauberflöte is an intriguing work of art on so many levels. One can speculate about symbols, revel in virtuoso displays, delight in the costumes, and laugh at the absurd. It's a great first opera for children: they love Papageno's silly antics as much as his feathers. For all that, this might have been a great presentation, but it's terribly disappointing.
Once again there is entirely too much introduction: 23 minutes pass before Tamino enters, stage left. There's simply not enough time to waste on this, and most listeners will not need a pop culture rehash of "Mozart is a genius and here's why."
There is entirely too much digression into the irrelevant. For example, instead of letting the Queen of the Night's coloratura stand on its own, an irrelevant example of coloratura from Bellini is played.
There's no rhyme or reason to the way in which the characters and plot are introduced.
It's all over the place, and even David Timson's usual wonderful narration can't save it.
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!
6 people found this helpful