Mozart's The Magic Flute: A Short Guide to a Great Opera

By Michael Steen

Even Salieri, the notorious villain of Peter Shaffer's drama Amadeus, admired Mozart's comic opera Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), which was premièred in Vienna a few weeks before Mozart's death in December 1791. Though sometimes enjoyed as a children's opera, this is not a pantomime: rooted in Freemasonry, the Enlightenment and the Age of Reason, it promotes the ideals of progress, virtue, self-betterment, truth and justice. Tamino, an Egyptian Prince, has a magic flute to take him and his beloved Pamina through trials of constancy and endurance, before they can attain ultimate bliss.

Critics have long been confounded as to how Mozart could present such a light-hearted yet deep masterpiece, with such wonderful music, while being in deep financial trouble.

There is great stylistic diversity. The sensationally difficult part of the Queen of the Night comes from the Italian opera tradition, while the comical bird catcher Papageno (originally performed by the librettist Schikaneder) sings in the popular style of the Viennese suburbs. Such is the beauty of the music that Bernard Shaw thought that the O Isis and Osiris, of Sarastro, the High Priest, was fit to emerge from the mouth of a god.

Written by Michael Steen, author of the acclaimed The Lives and Times of the Great Composers, 'Short Guides to Great Operas' are concise, entertaining and easy to read. They are packed with useful information and informed opinion, helping to make you a truly knowledgeable opera-goer, and so maximising your enjoyment of a great musical experience.

Other 'Short Guides to Great Operas' that you may enjoy include Don Giovanni, The Marriage of Figaro and Così fan tutte.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Icon Books
• Release date: Feb 20, 2013
• ISBN: 9781848315426

Book preview

Front coverTitle page

Published in the UK in 2013 by Icon Books Ltd,

Omnibus Business Centre, 29–41 North Road, London N7 9DP

email: [e-mail]

www.iconbooks.net

ISBN: 978-1-84831-542-6 (ePub format)

ISBN: 978-1-84831-544-0 (Adobe ebook format)

Content previously published in Great Operas, published in the UK in 2012 by Icon Books Ltd

Text copyright © 2012, 2013 Michael Steen

The author has asserted his moral rights.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, or by any means, without prior permission in writing from the publisher.

Typesetting by Marie Doherty

CONTENTS

Title page

Copyright

PREFACE

USING THIS EBOOK

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

MOZART’S THE MAGIC FLUTE

THE OPERA AND ITS COMPOSER

WHO’S WHO AND WHAT’S WHAT

THE INTERVAL – TALKING POINTS

The exceptional quality of the music

Political correctness

Sources of the opera

Freemasonry in the plot

Freemasonry in the music

Comedy or farce?

ACT BY ACT

Act 1

Act 2

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Sources of quotes

Other sources

NOTES

Short Guides to Great Operas

PREFACE

This guide is aimed at the ordinary opera-goer and opera-lover, usually a busy person who wants to know the essentials of the opera but has little time to grasp them.

It provides key background information to The Magic Flute, told engagingly by someone who knows the opera intimately.

It is light, easy to read, and entertaining. Relevant information has been carefully selected to enhance your appreciation of Mozart’s work.

It is authoritative, but not dense or academic. It is unburdened with the clutter that can easily be obtained elsewhere. It concentrates on information that it will help you to know in advance.

Read quickly before going to the opera or listening to it at home, you will get the very best out of the performance and have a truly enjoyable experience.

Opera can be a great social occasion. Being knowledgeable and well-informed, you’ll appreciate this magical art-form much more if you read this first.

I hope you enjoy the opera!

Michael Steen

USING THIS EBOOK

A very quick grasp of the opera can be gained by reading the opening section on ‘The opera and its composer’ and the ensuing ‘Who’s who and what’s what’. Further elaboration may be found in the sections entitled ‘The interval: talking points’ and ‘Act by act’.

The footnotes and boxes are an integral part of the information. The reader is encouraged to go to these by