Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's magical, enchanting fairy-tale opera "The Magic Flute" performed by the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra under the baton of Simon Rattle and directed by Robert Carson.

Mozart gave the world one of his most joyful and poetic works just two months before his own death.

The idea for this mystery belonged to the composer's friend and comrade in the Masonic lodge, the artist and theater director Emanuel Schikaneder. He also wrote the libretto for it, taking as a basis the fairy tale by Christoph Wieland "Lulu" from the collection of fantasy stories "Ginnistan, or Selected Tales about Fairies and Spirits" with an addition from his own tales "The Labyrinth" and "The Clever Boys". However, he significantly reworked the plot. The opera premiered on September 30, 1791, at the Theater Auf der Wieden. The author himself was at the conductor's stand, and the part of Papageno was performed by its librettist. The performance was performed in German, and this is the first opera written outside the operatic canon of the time, which prescribed the use of only Italian.

The entire action takes place in Egypt, during the reign of Ramses I.

Prince Tamino gets lost in the mountains, fleeing from a huge snake-dragon. Three ladies, servants of the Queen of the Night, save him, killing the monster with spears. The prince, who comes to, sees the birdcatcher Papageno, pretending that it was he who saved the prince. The three ladies are outraged by his bragging and punish him by putting a padlock on his mouth. The ladies tell the prince that he was saved by the Queen of the Night, who gives him a portrait of her daughter Pamina. Tamino falls in love with the portrait. According to the Queen of the Night, the girl was kidnapped by the evil wizard Sarastro. The prince sets off to save Pamina. The queen gives him a magic flute that will help defeat evil. Papageno receives magic bells and must help the prince at the behest of the queen. Accompanied by three genius boys, they set off on their journey. The Moor Monostatos, who guarded Pamina in the wizard's castle, kidnapped her. Papageno enters the room where the girl is hidden. The bird-catcher and the Moor are frightened of each other, the Moor runs away. Papageno tells Pamina that his mother sent him and about Prince Tamino, who fell in love with her from a portrait. The girl agrees to run, the Moor rushes in pursuit. Tamino at this time is in a sacred grove with three temples. The priest tells the prince that he has been deceived: Sarastro is actually a good wizard, not an evil one, and he has kidnapped Pamina by the will of the gods. Tamino begins to play the flute and hears the bells on Papageno's costume. At the sound of the magic flute, the Moor is forced to stop the chase. Sarastro promises to help Pamina meet Tamino. Monostatos appears, interfering with the prince. Tamino and Pamina rush into each other's arms. Sarastro reveals to the priests that Tamino has been sent to protect the Temple of Wisdom from the Queen of the Night and will receive Pamina as a reward, for which she was kidnapped. But the prince will face trials. Meanwhile, Monostatos is again pursuing Pamina. But the voice of the Queen of the Night is heard, and he runs away. The queen is desperate that Prince Tamino wants to devote himself to serving the temple, and asks her daughter to influence him. She refuses. The queen threatens to disown her daughter if she does not kill the sorcerer, and gives her a dagger.

In the temple, the prince and Papageno are subjected to the first test - silence. Pamina thinks that the prince has fallen out of love with her. The second test - separation - Tamino is told that he must say goodbye to Pamina forever. And he leaves her. And Papageno, failing the test, receives his Papagena, who has turned into a pretty girl from the old witch he had already met in the halls of the temple of trials.

The prince has his last test: to go through fire and water. Pamina appears to go with him. The magic flute will help them. Papageno is punished, he has lost Papagena. But three boys remind him of the magic bells that should help him find his beloved again. The Queen of the Night makes a final attempt: she promises her daughter to Monostatos if he, together with her three ladies-in-waiting, helps destroy the temple. But they are struck by the thunder and lightning that Sarastro has summoned. Day comes, and the Queen's power disappears. The darkness dissipates, and the sun rises. The priests praise Sarastro's kindness and intelligence.

PERFORMERS:

Tamino, Prince - Pavel Breslik

Papageno, Birdcatcher - Michael Nagy

Pamina, Daughter of the Queen of the Night - Kate Royal

Queen of the Night - Anna Durlowski

Sarastro, High Priest of Osiris and Isis - Dmitry Ivaschenko

Papagena - Regula Mühlemann

Monostatos, Moor - James Elliott

First Lady - Annick Massys

Second Lady - Magdalena Kožena

Third Lady - Natalie Stutzmann

Pages:

Andreas Schager

Jonathan Lemalu

Soldiers:

David Jerusalem

Benjamin Hewlett

Three Boy Geniuses:

David Roser

Cedric Schmitt

Joshua Augustin

Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra

Conductor - Simon Rattle

Berlin Philharmonic Choir radio

Choirmaster - Simon Halsey

Director - Robert Carsen

Festspielhaus, Baden-Baden, 2013