| Die Zauberflöte The Magic Flute | |
|---|---|
| Opera by W. A. Mozart | |
 The arrival of the Queen of the Night. Stage set by Karl Friedrich Schinkel for an 1815 production. | |
| Librettist | Emanuel Schikaneder |
| Language | German |
| Premiere | 30 September 1791 Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna |
The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte, pronounced [diː ˈtsaʊbɐˌfløːtə] ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form during the time it was written that included both singing and spoken dialogue.[a] The work premiered on 30 September 1791 at Schikaneder's theatre, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, just two months before the composer's death. It was the last opera that Mozart composed. The opera was an outstanding success from its first performances, and remains a staple of the opera repertory to this day.[2]
In the opera the Queen of the Night persuades Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter Pamina from captivity under the high priest Sarastro; instead, he learns the high ideals of Sarastro's community and seeks to join it. Separately, then together, Tamino and Pamina undergo severe trials of initiation, which end in triumph, with the Queen and her cohorts vanquished. The earthy Papageno, who accompanies Tamino on his quest, fails the trials completely but is rewarded anyway with the hand of his ideal female companion Papagena.
- ^ Foil, David; Berger, William (2007). The Magic Flute – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Emanuel Schikaneder, Carl Ludwig Giesecke. Black Dog & Leventhal Pub. : Distributed by Workman Pub. Co. ISBN 9781579127596. OCLC 145431789.
- ^ Fiona Maddocks (19 August 2011). "Top 50 operas". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 June 2024.
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