Publication of The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute is an opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, who also took the role of Papageno at the first performance in Vienna. It is a Singspiel, a work that mixes spoken dialogue with songs, and it tells how the prince Tamino sets out to rescue Pamina from the sorcerer Sarastro, guided by the bird-catcher Papageno. The story combines fairy-tale, comedy and symbolism, including references to Freemasonry, which Mozart and Schikaneder both practised. The part of the Queen of the Night, with its virtuoso high notes, is famous. Mozart died only a couple of months after the premiere, and the opera has remained one of the most performed in the repertoire.

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