Die Zauberflöte

Tamino, a young prince, falls head over heels in love with the picture of the beautiful Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night. The Queen promises Tamino Pamina’s hand in marriage if he should succeed in freeing her from the clutches of majestic Sarastro. Tamino sets out with the amusing bird-catcher Papageno on a journey to the land of this mysterious ruler. The magic flute – a present from the Queen – will protect him on his way. The twosome together goes through a series of trials in which they are to maintain a vow of silence, prove themselves resolute and unwavering, and also demonstrate their courage.  While they oppose the forces of darkness, they learn the meaning of wisdom, friendship, and love.

Although the audience’s reaction to the premiere of the opera in the Freihaustheater on the outskirts of Vienna on September 30, 1791 was hardly euphoric, the opera soon thereafter became a true crowd-pleaser. Before long, in October of that year, it was performed almost daily. That today THE MAGIC FLUTE is perhaps one of the most well-known and often performed works in the history of opera, is beyond a doubt. But what is actually magical and popular in Mozart’s last great work for the stage?

Fairy tale, mythology, magical things, have always been for everyone fascinating. As an audience we embark together with the main characters on a journey of self-discovery. Who is indeed good and who is evil? In the music and in his characterization, Mozart combines elements from serious and comic opera. We hear the arias of the Queen of the Night with their acrobatic passages of coloratura as well as the folksy, catchy tunes of Papageno. After the production’s premiere in 1996 and a long series of revivals, Mozart’s classic is once again back on Bonn’s opera stage.