Die Zauberflöte

Our first month program feature's Mozart's most popular opera, The Magic Flute

Roles

Tamino - tenor

Pamina* - soprano

Papageno - baritone

Speaker - bass

Monostatos - tenor

Queen of the night* - coloratura soprano

Papagena - soprano

First lady - soprano

Second lady - soprano

Third lady - mezzo-soprano or contralto

Sarastro - bass

First child-spirit - soprano

Second child-spirit - soprano

Third child-spirit - mezzo-soprano or contralto

June 20th - July 20th

BOA kicks off its summer with rehearsals of one of the world's most performed operas, and one dominant in the german opera scene. The Magic Flute is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart set to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It premiered on 30 September 1791 at Schikaneder's theatre, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. We will be referring to the Baerenreiter edition for music direction.

History

Mozart's Magic Flute is noted for its Masonic elements. Schikaneder and Mozart were both Masons and lodge brothers. The opera was influenced by enlightenment philosophy, and the Queen of the Night, according to some, represented the Roman Catholic Church itself, which was also strongly anti-Masonic. Her antagonist, Sarastro, was thought to symbolise the enlightened sovereign who rules according to principles of reason, wisdom, and nature. The story itself displays an education of mankind, ultimately making "the Earth a heavenly kingdom, and mortals like the gods".

Premiere

For the Premiere, Mozart conducted the orchestra, Schikaneder sang Papageno and the opera was premiered in Vienna on 30 September 1791. Although there were no reviews of the first performances, it was clear that it was a great success, drawing immense crowds and reaching hundreds of performances during the 1790s.

In Mozart's own words, "I have this moment returned from the opera, which was as full as ever... you can see how this opera is becoming more and more esteemed."

The Magic Flute is presently the fourth most frequently performed opera world wide.