La Clemenza di Tito was given its first performance on 6th September, 1791; The Magic Flute received its premier in Vienna shortly afterwards, on 30th September.
Mozart had been working on The Magic Flute in collaboration with the director of the Theater auf der Wieden, Emanuel Schikaneder before the Prague commission arrived for the opera seria, managing to finish the new opera in the brief interlude following rehearsal and performance of La Clemenza.
Magic Flute, like the earlier Die Entführung aus dem Serail [The Abduction from the Seraglio] is a Singspiel, a comic genre in which the secco recitative of opera is abandoned in favour of ordinary speech. The opera was a brilliant success.
You can access sample versions of the arias/duets sung by the main characters either by clicking on the highlighted/linked text in the Act I synopsis below, or on the timings under the video of the opera.
Act I
A mythical land between the sun and the moon. Three ladies in the service of the Queen of the Night save Prince Tamino from a serpent. When they leave to tell the queen, the birdcatcher Papageno appears. He boasts to Tamino that it was he who killed the creature. The ladies return to give Tamino a portrait of the queen’s daughter, Pamina, who they say has been enslaved by the evil Sarastro. Tamino immediately falls in love with the girl’s picture. The queen, appearing in a burst of thunder, tells Tamino about the loss of her daughter and commands him to rescue her. The ladies give a magic flute to Tamino and silver bells to Papageno to ensure their safety on the journey and appoint three spirits to guide them.
Sarastro’s slave Monostatos pursues Pamina but is frightened away by Papageno. The birdcatcher tells Pamina that Tamino loves her and is on his way to save her. Led by the three spirits to the temple of Sarastro, Tamino learns from a high priest that it is the Queen, not Sarastro, who is evil. Hearing that Pamina is safe, Tamino charms the wild animals with his flute, then rushes off to follow the sound of Papageno’s pipes. Monostatos and his men chase Papageno and Pamina but are left helpless when Papageno plays his magic bells. Sarastro enters in great ceremony. He punishes Monostatos and promises Pamina that he will eventually set her free. Pamina catches a glimpse of Tamino, who is led into the temple with Papageno.
0:00:00 Overture
0:06:11 Zu Hilfe!
0:12:28 Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja (Tamino)
0:23:51 O zittre nicht (Queen of the Night)
0:28:47 Hm! Hm! (Papageno)
0:39:16 Bei Männern (weib und mann) Pamina and Papageno 0:42:21 Finale die drie knaben
0:51:49 Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton (Tamino)
0:56:10 Das klinget so herrlicht, la ra la
0:57:05 Könnte jeder brave Mann (Pamina and Papageno)
0:58:42 Es lebe Sarastro!
Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as “fair use”, for the purpose of study, and critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of the copyright owner(s).
Pantygwydr!
The Art of Listening 