The Magic Flute
a fairy tale for young and old
Once upon a time, a prince awoke to find himself lost in an enchanted forest in a strange land. He had no idea how he had arrived in such a place, nor how he would ever return home. The forest was dark and full of mysterious sounds. He was alone and afraid.
And so begins The Magic Flute, one of Mozart’s last works, which premiered in Vienna in September of 1791, just three months before Mozart’s untimely death. The Magic Flute is the last operatic masterpiece of the 18th century and is often considered a bridge between the age of reason and the romantic period. The 18th century was an age of scientific thinking and new ideas about what it means to be human—“we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” But just as our own atomic age has spawned an entire fantasy genre we know as science fiction, the age of reason was filled with fantastical stories of enchanted forests, wizards, sorceresses, magic lamps, geniis trapped in bottles, and captive maidens. Flip the coin of reason and the opposite side is the fantastic.
Mozart enjoyed attending popular plays and theatrical spectacles based on fairy tales as well as books like A Thousand and One Nights. In fact, there is a contemporary account of his wife, Costanze, reading him “Aladdin’s Lamp” and “Cinderella” the night before the Don Giovanni premiere. So it’s only natural that when a popular theater like the suburban Theater auf der Wieden approached Mozart about creating a singspiel for the resident company, he would choose a fairy tale subject. The troupe’s leader was Emmanuel Schikaneder, who was not only the impresario of the theater, but also one of its leading actors. For The Magic Flute, Schikaneder was not only the producer and librettist, but also played Papageno.
Schikaneder based the libretto for The Magic Flute on a popular fairy tale collection called Dschinnistan, by Wieland, Einsiedel and Liebeskind. All the main elements of The Magic Flute can be found in the stories in this collection: a group of wise old men instructing a headstrong youth, the trials of fire and water, the magic spirits who guide the hero, the sorceress queen with the captive daughter, and the wizard who at first appears to be evil and then turns out to be good. Even act two’s magic feast appears in this collection of stories. There were a number of other sources for Schikaneder’s libretto, including a fantastical “Egyptian” story called Sethos, as well as the initiation rituals of the Freemasons, of which he and Mozart were both members.
Before The Magic Flute, Mozart’s operas had been composed primarily for court theaters. They were for sophisticated, aristocratic theater goers, not for a general audience. For the first time with the Flute he wrote a piece for shopkeepers, merchants, artisans bankers and families. Mozart being Mozart, he wasn’t content to write a mere popular success. He also wanted to create a work for the ages—that rare artistic success that is also a blockbuster. The result is a work of musical drama that is completely egalitarian, equally enjoyable for the sophisticated opera lover and for someone who has never seen an opera.
In a letter to his wife, Costanze, dated October 14th, 1791, Mozart himself writes about his pleasure at The Magic Flute’s ability to charm young and old alike. The night before, he had invited the celebrated composer Antonio Salieri and the famous Austrian soprano Caterina Cavalieri to share his box at the theater. That night he also brought his seven-year old son, Karl, and his mother-in-law. Mozart reports that Karl was “absolutely delighted” and that his more sophisticated guests were equally smitten by the opera. “They both said that it was an operone, worthy to be performed for the greatest festival and for the greatest monarchs, and that they would often go to see it, as they had never seen a more beautiful or delightful show.” As for Salieri, Mozart’s sometime rival, he “listened and watched most attentively and from the overture to the last chorus there was not a single number that did not call forth from him a bravo! or bello!” High praise indeed from one of the most successful composers of the age.
Any production of The Magic Flute has to honor the work’s egalitarian spirit. It must be a fairy tale for children and for adults, able to delight both, meeting each audience member at their own level. As the designers and I cast about for inspiration, we landed on the work of Belgian painter René Magritte, a 20th century master of the fantastic. His dream-like work is filled with portals—doorways, picture frames, windows, even the human eye—which lead the viewer from everyday reality into the fantastical world of our dreams. These are not the nightmare visions of Salvador Dalì, but playful, witty, and simple dreamscapes, accessible to children and thought provoking for adults. Our production is also very much of the moment – we’ve infused Magritte’s world with a touch of steampunk, creating a fantastical dreamscape of the here and now.
Fairy tales are for everyone. Children see the rites of passage that are part of their ongoing maturation, and adults see the trials they have passed through to attain the wisdom that comes with age. Both are dazzled by the surprising and magical plot turns the stories contain, but above all, both recognize the struggles of fairy tale heroes and heroines as their own. Who among us is not the hero of our own life; slaying dragons, passing through fire, all to find our true love and remake the world in our own image? The Magic Flute tells us to trust in those we love, hold them close, and hand in hand face our greatest fears. For it is only together, bound by friendship and love that we can emerge victorious from life’s struggles.
And so begins The Magic Flute, one of Mozart’s last works, which premiered in Vienna in September of 1791, just three months before Mozart’s untimely death. The Magic Flute is the last operatic masterpiece of the 18th century and is often considered a bridge between the age of reason and the romantic period. The 18th century was an age of scientific thinking and new ideas about what it means to be human—“we hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” But just as our own atomic age has spawned an entire fantasy genre we know as science fiction, the age of reason was filled with fantastical stories of enchanted forests, wizards, sorceresses, magic lamps, geniis trapped in bottles, and captive maidens. Flip the coin of reason and the opposite side is the fantastic.
Mozart enjoyed attending popular plays and theatrical spectacles based on fairy tales as well as books like A Thousand and One Nights. In fact, there is a contemporary account of his wife, Costanze, reading him “Aladdin’s Lamp” and “Cinderella” the night before the Don Giovanni premiere. So it’s only natural that when a popular theater like the suburban Theater auf der Wieden approached Mozart about creating a singspiel for the resident company, he would choose a fairy tale subject. The troupe’s leader was Emmanuel Schikaneder, who was not only the impresario of the theater, but also one of its leading actors. For The Magic Flute, Schikaneder was not only the producer and librettist, but also played Papageno.
Schikaneder based the libretto for The Magic Flute on a popular fairy tale collection called Dschinnistan, by Wieland, Einsiedel and Liebeskind. All the main elements of The Magic Flute can be found in the stories in this collection: a group of wise old men instructing a headstrong youth, the trials of fire and water, the magic spirits who guide the hero, the sorceress queen with the captive daughter, and the wizard who at first appears to be evil and then turns out to be good. Even act two’s magic feast appears in this collection of stories. There were a number of other sources for Schikaneder’s libretto, including a fantastical “Egyptian” story called Sethos, as well as the initiation rituals of the Freemasons, of which he and Mozart were both members.
Before The Magic Flute, Mozart’s operas had been composed primarily for court theaters. They were for sophisticated, aristocratic theater goers, not for a general audience. For the first time with the Flute he wrote a piece for shopkeepers, merchants, artisans bankers and families. Mozart being Mozart, he wasn’t content to write a mere popular success. He also wanted to create a work for the ages—that rare artistic success that is also a blockbuster. The result is a work of musical drama that is completely egalitarian, equally enjoyable for the sophisticated opera lover and for someone who has never seen an opera.
In a letter to his wife, Costanze, dated October 14th, 1791, Mozart himself writes about his pleasure at The Magic Flute’s ability to charm young and old alike. The night before, he had invited the celebrated composer Antonio Salieri and the famous Austrian soprano Caterina Cavalieri to share his box at the theater. That night he also brought his seven-year old son, Karl, and his mother-in-law. Mozart reports that Karl was “absolutely delighted” and that his more sophisticated guests were equally smitten by the opera. “They both said that it was an operone, worthy to be performed for the greatest festival and for the greatest monarchs, and that they would often go to see it, as they had never seen a more beautiful or delightful show.” As for Salieri, Mozart’s sometime rival, he “listened and watched most attentively and from the overture to the last chorus there was not a single number that did not call forth from him a bravo! or bello!” High praise indeed from one of the most successful composers of the age.
Any production of The Magic Flute has to honor the work’s egalitarian spirit. It must be a fairy tale for children and for adults, able to delight both, meeting each audience member at their own level. As the designers and I cast about for inspiration, we landed on the work of Belgian painter René Magritte, a 20th century master of the fantastic. His dream-like work is filled with portals—doorways, picture frames, windows, even the human eye—which lead the viewer from everyday reality into the fantastical world of our dreams. These are not the nightmare visions of Salvador Dalì, but playful, witty, and simple dreamscapes, accessible to children and thought provoking for adults. Our production is also very much of the moment – we’ve infused Magritte’s world with a touch of steampunk, creating a fantastical dreamscape of the here and now.
Fairy tales are for everyone. Children see the rites of passage that are part of their ongoing maturation, and adults see the trials they have passed through to attain the wisdom that comes with age. Both are dazzled by the surprising and magical plot turns the stories contain, but above all, both recognize the struggles of fairy tale heroes and heroines as their own. Who among us is not the hero of our own life; slaying dragons, passing through fire, all to find our true love and remake the world in our own image? The Magic Flute tells us to trust in those we love, hold them close, and hand in hand face our greatest fears. For it is only together, bound by friendship and love that we can emerge victorious from life’s struggles.
