Mozart’s Magic Opera
A theatre-goer who wanted to see Mozart’s The Magic Flute in 1791 had to arrive at the theatre box office already around noon and wait in line for several hours to buy a ticket. Over the next few years, the opera, which premiered on 30 September 1791 at the Freihaustheater auf der Wieden in a suburb of Vienna, was performed more than 200 times, and would soon go on to conquer opera stages around the world.
A year before the premiere, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) found himself in financial difficulty after the death of his patron, Emperor Joseph II, in 1790. Mozart’s friend, the celebrated actor, singer, playwright and composer Emanuel Schikaneder (1748–1812), who was in a similar financial predicament, came up with the idea to write a libretto for an opera that would help them both get out of debt. However, it could not be just any opera - it had to be a true spectacle, and Schikaneder, who was famous for his spectacular productions, opted for a genre associated with popular theatre in Vienna - the magic opera. Professor Peter Branscombe explains that, although in theory all operas featuring magical themes (fairies, witches, magic, etc.) are classified as magic operas, in practice the term refers exclusively to Singspiel (a form of comic opera incorporating spoken dialogue), specifically magic Singspiel, in which set design based on Baroque theatrical machinery is an essential component. Thus, although Mozart and Schikaneder lived and worked during the age of Classicism, popular theatre continued to employ elements of the preceding Baroque style, namely, the set designs of Baroque opera. Baroque machinery enabled rapid set changes thanks to easily movable wings and flats that recreated the locations in which the action took place. It is said that The Magic Flute featured as many as fourteen such changes! Special effects also included a flying machine from which the Three Boys, or the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute, descended onto the stage as if from heaven. The machine was decorated with flowers and was often used in theatres to represent flying chariots, dragons or clouds. Thunder and other sound effects were also integral to productions of this kind.
For all these reasons, it was only natural for Schikaneder to set the action of The Magic Flute in an imaginary fairy-tale world, where fairy-tale motifs intertwine with mythological themes and Masonic symbols (symbols of the secret society to which both Schikaneder and Mozart belonged). As in every fairy tale, good and evil are in conflict, only for goodness, love and virtue to triumph in the end.
Mozart then takes the spotlight with his sublime music. Known as a wunderkind, he began composing at the age of four and wrote his first opera at twelve. Although he composed around 600 works, including symphonies, vocal and instrumental works, concertos and 22 operas, he used to say “Opera comes first for me.” In The Magic Flute, in order to enrich the work, he decided to combine different operatic and musical styles. For example, he wrote Tamino’s role in the style of Italian opera (at the premiere, this role was performed by Benedikt Schack, who was also an excellent flautist); Pamina’s role was written in the style of German opera, while Papageno, the most striking character in the production, was given music with a folk-like quality and arias that would become immensely popular. For his sister-in-law Josepha Hofer, renowned for her brilliant coloratura, Mozart composed one of the most demanding yet remarkable roles in the operatic repertoire: the Queen of the Night.
Mozart himself conducted the premiere, while Schikaneder played Papageno. Sadly, Mozart did not live to witness the enormous success of his final opera. He died two months after its premiere. It was the first opera he composed for a public theatre, as all his previous operas had been commissioned by the court, and the only opera in the magic opera genre to have remained famous to this day.
Vanja Kosanić
A Word from the Director
This production of The Magic Flute follows the journey of an individual who finds himself in an unfamiliar world and gradually begins to understand it. An actor also enters this world by chance, searching for his role, but remains there longer than he expected. His presence reminds us that each of us has, in some way, already found ourselves in a situation or story we did not fully understand.
The story revolves around Tamino, who starts as an uncertain character, relying on what he has been told, only to gradually arrive to a conclusion of his own. The Three Ladies, who save him at the beginning, can be seen as his guiding voices, but also as expressions of his inner divisions and different ways in which the truth can be presented and distorted.
Pamina is a character who already senses what Tamino has yet to discover. Her position between two worlds brings both tension and strength, for it is precisely through this uncertainty that she finds her own path. Their encounter is no coincidence, but part of a process through which they both mature.
The Magic Flute emerges as something that is not imposed, but discovered. It works when there is an inner readiness to hear and understand. Its role is not to overcome obstacles by force, but to bring harmony to both the world around us and the human soul.
Papageno stands on the other side of this journey. He does not seek transformation in the same sense, but longs for spontaneity, closeness and a life he can understand immediately. His relationship with Papagena shows that fulfilment can also take this form: simple and sincere.
Tamino’s journey is marked by trials. These can be understood as a passage through the fundamental elements, but also as an inner process of stabilisation. The test of silence holds a special place, where one resists the urge to react immediately and instead builds trust.
Monostatos is a character driven by fear and a lack of belonging, guided by a desire he can neither understand nor control. His position reveals what happens when a person becomes trapped in their own shadow. Opposite him stands Sarastro, who represents peace, order and the ability to see things clearly without resorting to force. The Queen of the Night embodies intense emotion and a need for control arising from the fear of loss. These characters are not simple opposites, but different poles within the same inner world, through which the protagonists move and in which they make their decisions.
The world inhabited by these characters gradually reveals itself as a place where relationships change as the characters themselves change. What initially appears to be a clear division becomes increasingly complex over time, calling for personal understanding.
Ultimately, the impression remains that the story does not end on stage, but continues in what spectators recognise within themselves.
A Word from the Mentor
Mozart’s The Magic Flute is a masterpiece of operatic literature and the last opera composed by W. A. Mozart. Every opera singer dreams of a role in this work. Likewise, our students at the “Borislav Popović” Opera Studio understood the importance of getting to know each operatic character in depth and portraying them faithfully to the audience. The Magic Flute has the power to stir powerful emotions, particularly in younger audiences. The opera tells us how the world of darkness transforms into a world of light. Our students learned how goodness, beauty, wisdom, knowledge, joy and, above all, love triumph over hatred. Through studying this work, they came to appreciate once again the importance of patience and unity of faith in succeeding on our journey and reaching our goal. This is also a motto for everything we aspire to achieve on our life’s journey. Through their creativity and magnificent voices, our young singers brought a true operatic fairy tale to life.
Snežana Savičić Sekulić
A Word from the Conductor
The Magic Flute holds a special place in the body of work of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who can rightly be regarded primarily as an opera composer. His creative inventiveness and sense of dramatic progression remain difficult to match in the works of his contemporaries.
The version presented here is based on the so-called Frankfurt adaptation, adapted to a younger audience. In this context, the complex structure of the original work has been condensed and its dramaturgy simplified, so that the opera’s central idea - the journey towards maturity, the trials along the way and the triumph of good - can be brought closer to children’s experience without sacrificing the essential artistic value of Mozart’s music.
The historical significance of this opera is immense. As Alfred Einstein points out, the subsequent development of German Romantic opera would be difficult to imagine without it, while Richard Wagner recognised in this work the beginnings of its true artistic foundation. Here, Mozart elevates the Singspiel form to the level of high art, creating a work of extraordinary complexity and inner coherence.
Even in this adapted version, the work’s fundamental symbolic dimension has been preserved. Although presented in a more accessible and direct manner, the characters still embody universal values: courage, loyalty, wisdom and perseverance. The conflict between good and evil, light and darkness, remains the driving force of the plot, but is conveyed more clearly and in a way that resonates more closely with young listeners.
A particular value of The Magic Flute lies in its harmonious integration of diverse means of musical expression: the comic and the sublime, the simple and the complex, elements of folk and sacred music, as well as homophonic and polyphonic textures. Shaped by the steady hand of a great artist, this diversity does not undermine the unity of the whole, but rather contributes to its artistic fullness and expressive power.
This version of the opera aims to open the doors of musical theatre to the youngest audiences, offering them the experience of their first encounter with one of the most significant works in the European musical tradition. That is where its special value actually lies - in its ability to awaken curiosity, imagination and a love of art through the beauty of the music and the simplicity of its stage presentation.
Synopsis
Long ago, in an imaginary land, a story unfolds about Prince Tamino, who is attacked by a terrifying serpent. Just as he is losing his strength, he is rescued by the Three Ladies of the Queen of the Night, who defeat the serpent. When he regains consciousness, Tamino meets Papageno, a cheerful bird-man who boasts that he killed the serpent. For this, he is punished by having a padlock placed over his mouth.
Left alone, Tamino comes across a portrait of an unfamiliar young woman: Pamina. Captivated by her image, he is overcome by a powerful feeling he cannot explain. This encounter sets his journey in motion, and he decides to search for her.
Along the way, Tamino discovers a magic flute, an instrument that does not seem to be an ordinary object - it rather seems as an artefact that belongs to the very order of the world through which he travels. Its power lies in its ability to restore harmony, calm fear and open a path where none seems to exist. Papageno joins him as his companion and is given a set of magic bells to protect in times of danger.
As his journey progresses, Tamino gradually discovers that reality is not what it first appeared to be. Sarastro, portrayed to him as an adversary, is not an evil kidnapper but a guardian of order, wisdom and light. Pamina is caught between two worlds: that of her mother and that of Sarastro.
Pamina is also watched and pursued by Monostatos, who harasses and threatens her. When she rejects him, he attempts to force her to submit, but Papageno, with the help of his magic bells, manages to stop him and set her free.
When Pamina and Tamino meet, they recognise one another instantly and their connection is powerful. However, if they are to remain together, Tamino must first undergo a series of trials. These trials represent a journey of inner transformation: through the elements of fire, water, air and earth, as well as through the difficult test of silence, which demands self-control, trust and perseverance.
Pamina, uncertain and hurt by Tamino’s silence, loses hope at one point, but ultimately remains by his side, and together they continue their journey. With the help of the magic flute, they overcome every trial. Unlike them, Papageno fails to pass the same trials, but he finds Papagena, his soulmate. She is his mirror image and complement, equally simple, spontaneous and devoted to the pleasures of life. Their encounter marks the beginning of their life together.
Driven by her desire for power, the Queen of the Night attempts to regain her influence and urges Pamina to confront Sarastro, but her plan fails. In the end, love and inner strength prevail, and Tamino and Pamina enter the temple as those who have found their path.
Running parallel to this story is the tale of an actor who comes to audition for the role of Hamlet but finds himself in a world entirely foreign to him. As he tries to find his bearings, he gradually becomes part of the events he did not initially understand, facing the same questions as the protagonists of this story.
