Name: MOZART’S MAGIC FLUTE, abridged encore
Start: 2024-12-07T13:00:00-05:00
End: 2024-12-07T15:00:00-05:00

One of the greatest operas ever written, The Magic Flute is the ideal introduction to opera for everyone, packed with fantasy, romance and daring. This shortened English language version of Mozart's timeless classic retains the story's fairy-tale elements while also revealing its darker side. The story is told in a singspiel ("song-play") format characterized by separate musical numbers connected by dialogue and stage activity.

When the opera opens, it is night time, and a young girl is swept away by the power of her imagination into a world where nothing is as it first appears. Here she finds Tamino, a handsome prince who is also lost in this strange land, and is being pursued by a monstrous serpent. Three mysterious women appear, who are servants of the Queen of the Night, and slay the monster. Afterwards, they give Tamino a portrait of the Queen's daughter, Pamina, and he falls instantly in love, vowing to rescue her from the evil Sarastro, Priest of the Sun, in whose faraway Temple she has been imprisoned. The three women give Tamino a magic flute to help in his quest and with the aid of a bird-catcher, Papageno, Tamino journeys to Sarastro's temple and meets Pamina for the first time.

Tamino soon learns that it is not Sarastro who is evil but the Queen of the Night, and that Pamina was only being held to keep her hidden from her mother. Sarastro gives Tamino a new quest; he must now undergo a series of trials to prove himself worthy of Pamina's love.
Using the power of the magic flute, Tamino and Pamina are able to overcome their trials and earn the right to be with each other. At the moment of their success, the Queen of the Night, her three ladies, and Monostatos arrive to storm the temple and destroy it, but Sarastro appears and defeats them, casting them out. Sarastro blesses Tamino and Pamina, and all join in celebrating the triumph of virtue, wisdom, and courage. The sun rises on a new era for the united heroes.

The story is set in Egypt, the country traditionally regarded as the legendary birthplace of the Masonic fraternity, whose symbols and rituals populate this opera. One of the symbolic elements of the opera that pops up repeatedly is the number three - a very important number in Freemasonry, representing order and balance. While it initially appears as a magic farce, in the course of the action The Magic Flute increasingly turns to the proclamation of Masonic ideals, focussing on the duality of Enlightenment and obscurantism.

Listen for The Queen of the Night's Act Il aria from the opera, Der Hölle Rache, as It Is one of the most recognisable pieces of Mozart's music. Best-known for the fast repetition of a high C and reaching several top F's, this aria challenges even the best sopranos. Mozart wrote the role for his sister-in-law, Josepha Hofer.

As usual, I will be buying a seat in Row G and meet people in the bar ahead of time. Bring a blanket as it gets a little cool, but be careful not to fall asleep as these seats are so comfortable!

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MOZART’S MAGIC FLUTE, abridged encore

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MOZART’S MAGIC FLUTE, abridged encore

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