FULL DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE or THE MAGIC FLUTE Des Plaines IL 2023 Chicago Summer Opera
Information on the Performance
- Work Title: DIE ZAUBERFLÖTE or THE MAGIC FLUTE
- Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
- Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder Libretto Text, Libretto Index
- Venue & Opera Company: Prairie Lakes Theater, Des Plaines, Illinois
- Recorded: July 17, 2023
- Type: Staged Opera Live
- Singers: Dylan Schang, Colin Safley, Cristina Rosheger, Minju Jeong, Kaitlyn Applewhite, Brian Neal
- Conductor: Codrut Birsan
- Orchestra:
- Stage Director: Meghan Hakes
- Costume Designer:
Information about the Recording
- Published by: Chicago Summer Opera
- Date Published: 2023
- Format: Streaming
- Quality Video: 3 Audio:3
- Subtitles: yessubs, ensubs
- Video Recording from: YouTube FULL VIDEO
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON THIS PERFORMANCE
In a mythical land between the sun and the moon, Prince Tamino is in quite the predicament: a giant serpent threatens his life. Three ladies, who announce themselves as the servants of the Queen of the Night, save him (though the comical bird catcher Papageno tries to take credit). Showing Tamino the portrait of the beautiful Pamina, daughter of the Queen, the three ladies tell him that she has been captured by Sarastro, the Prince of the Sun. Tamino, enamored with Pamina thanks to her portrait, is then approached dramatically by the Queen of the Night herself. Tamino agrees to rescue Pamina from Sarastro’s clutches and is bestowed with a magic flute to aid his quest. Papageno, who will accompany Tamino, is given a magic set of chimes.
Meanwhile, in Sarastro’s kingdom, Pamina is threatened by Monostatos, but Papageno’s arrival scares the villain away. Papageno, who is looking for love himself, promises Pamina that her true love is nearby. Together, they reflect on the beauty of romantic companionship. Meanwhile, Tamino encounters Sarastro, who he believes to be evil after the warning of the Queen and her servants. However, in this land of the sun and the moon, not everything is what it seems! In this Enlightenment era opera, composed in a world where the search for truth and goodness was paramount, Tamino, Pamina, and Papageno seek the light over the darkness and endure trials to determine their worthiness to enter the Temple of Light. Enlightenment looks different for each character, but working together, they are able to celebrate victory over darkness at the opera’s end.
Mozart’s final opera, a popular singspiel designed to both elucidate and entertain, is heavily influenced by Masonic ritual, imagery, and beliefs in personal growth and development. It owes much of this Masonic influence to its librettist, Emanuel Schikaneder. Tamino and Pamina’s lyrical love, Papageno and Papagena’s exuberant delight in one another, and the Queen of the Night’s famous, chilling “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” are just a few of the highlights on this heroic journey towards Enlightenment.