Scene from the First Act (by Joseph u. Peter Schaffer - Vienna, Museen der Stadt)

In a German radio broadcast series on Beethoven, the German music critic Joachim Kaiser mentioned Beethoven's enchantment with this Mozart opera and attributes it to the great variety of musical expressions in the work.  We might feel inclined to agree with Kaiser, if we consider that the predilection he refers to is that of the composer of the Ninth Symphony with its Final Chorus and its equally wide range of emotions, musical thoughts and concepts expressed therein.  

However, how can we, as lay people, gain a better understanding of the great variety of musical expressions found in Mozart's last German opera?  Perhaps we should embark on another journey, namely on that into the world of The Magic Flute.  In doing so, we will, first and foremost, encounter Mozart and his creation of this opera in 1791, the last year of his life, and, secondly, we will also have a change to explore the dynamics of the highly dramatic crossroads of 18th century absolutism and the age of enlightenment with its undercurrents of the forebodings of the French Revolution.

Such a journey might, perhaps, prepare us for an enriched experience of our next enjoyment of the Magic Flute in a live performance.

With this in mind, we wish you an enjoyable reading and listening experience with all of the material offered here!

W.A. Mozart	TIME TABLE A brief overview of Mozart's life
Frontispiece of the original Edition	CREATION HISTORY Let's explore facts instead of Mozart legends!
Scene from the 1st Act	SYNOPSIS Good and evil turned upside down... ...and straightened out in the end!
Emanuel Schikaneder	LIBRETTO Schikander's? Giesecke's? libretto in German
Josefa Hofer, the first Queen of the Night	MUSIC CRITICISM Who is "right": Alfred Einstein, Hildesheimer, Solomon or Gutman?
Beethoven around. 1803	BEETHOVEN AND THE "MAGIC FLUTE" A theme with "variations"....
Mozart, 1788	INTERESTING LINKS What others wrote on the subject...