Ravinia 2023 Issue 4

WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART (1756–1791) Die Zauberflöte , K. 620 Scored for two flutes and piccolo, two oboes, two clarinets and two basset horns, two bassoons, two horns, two trumpets, three trombones, timpani, glockenspiel, and strings Viennese popular theater traced its long tra- dition of German-language comic “operas” to the early 1710s, when the Theater am Kärnt- nertor (or Kärntnertortheater) established a resident company. Restrictions on popular theater under Maria Theresia in the 1760s failed to curb public interest in these lighter forms of entertainment. A number of popular theaters opened in Vienna and its suburbs during the next two decades. In 1778, Jo- seph II established a National Singspiel at the Court Theater, but abandoned the project af- ter five years. The Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden, just outside central Vienna, was es- tablished in 1787. Actor, playwright, and impresario Emanu- el Schikaneder assumed directorship of the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in its third year of existence. Schikaneder introduced a more developed level of musical composi- tion with the addition of two staff compos- ers: Benedikt Schack and Franz Xaver Gerl. The Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden came to specialize in “magic” operas, the most suc- cessful among them including Paul Wranitz- ky’s Oberon, König der Elfen ( Oberon, King of the Elves ; 1789) and the Schikaneder/Schack/ Gerl production Der Stein der Weisen oder Die Zauberinsel ( The Philosophers’ Stone, or the Magic Island ; 1790). When Schikaneder commissioned Mozart for a Singspiel—a comic genre with spoken dia- logue and musical numbers—he drew from several literary sources. Der Stein der Weisen , still fresh in the Viennese consciousness, pro- vided some standard magical formulas, as did August Jacob Liebeskind’s 1788 “fairy tale” Lulu oder die Zauberflöte . Other influences Emanuel Schikaneder included Chrétien de Troyes’s 12th-century Arthurian romance Yvain, ou Le chevalier au Lyon and Abbé Jean Terrasson’s Sethos (1731), a novel about ancient Egypt. The contemporary Singspiel Der Fagottist oder Die Zauberzither ( The Bassoonist, or the Magic Zither ) by Wenzel Müller, which opened at the Theater in der Leopoldstadt on June 8, 1791, also might have shaped the com- position of the Schikaneder/Mozart collabo- ration Die Zauberflöte ( The Magic Flute ). The extent of its influence, though, has been over-exaggerated. Mozart seemed only mild- ly impressed when writing to his wife Con- stanze on June 12: “To cheer myself up, I then went to the Kasperle Theater to see the new opera Der Fagottist , which is making such a sensation, but which is shoddy stuff.” Mozart wrote the greater portion of Die Zauberflöte between June 11 and sometime in July of 1791. The overture, march, and three final vocal pieces were completed days before the first performance on September 30 at the Frei- haus-Theater auf der Wieden. Numerous aspects of Die Zauberflöte reflect the symbolism and ideology of Freemason- ry, as did several other Mozart composi- tions from the late 1780s onward. The Soci- ety of Freemasons was a secret brotherhood Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart by Johann Georg Edlinger (ca.1790) Theater auf der Wieden dedicated to the enlightenment and equality of all people, regardless of social or econom- ic caste. Freemasonry extolled the virtues of Nature, Reason, and Wisdom in a wide array of numerological and mythological symbols. Both Mozart and Schikaneder were Free- masons. The composer belonged to the Zur Wohltätigkeit (Beneficence) lodge—later ab- sorbed into the Zur Neugekrönten Hoffnung (New Crowned Hope) lodge—in Vienna. Mozart banked on their Masonic brother- hood to secure loans from Schikaneder in the final years of his life. In Austria, the Masonic movement was virtually obliterated by the policies of several late-18th-century imperi- al rulers. Recent scholars, principally David Buch, have challenged the “Masonic opera” concept by citing stylistic elements in Die Zauberflöte that existed in earlier fairy-tale operas without Masonic associations. SYNOPSIS Overture. A ceremonial aura surrounds the overture, an orchestral movement im- bued with Masonic musical symbolism. The number three—representing the degrees of Masonic brethren (apprentice, journey- man, master) as well as the solemn phrase “ Weisheit, Schönheit, Stärke ” (“wisdom, beau- ty, strength”)—is reflected in the E-flat-major key signature (three flats) and the three slow opening chords. Excited fugue-like writing follows this dignified introduction. The slow chords return midway through the overture, but they now number three-times-three, a rhythm associated with rituals in certain Ma- sonic lodges. Act One. The prince Tamino, struggling to escape a giant snake, falls to the ground unconscious. Through the gates of a temple come Three Ladies, who kill the serpent with a silver javelin and rescue the handsome man. Tamino reawakens to discover the dead snake and a panpipe-playing bird catcher, Papage- no, who claims credit for subduing the beast. The Three Ladies return, chastise Papageno for lying, and fasten his lips with a golden padlock. They present the prince with a por- trait of the Queen of the Night’s daughter, Pamina. Her beautiful image bewitches Tamino. If he remains courageous and valiant, the Three Ladies announce, Tamino can rescue the maiden from a powerful villain, who has im- prisoned Pamina in his castle. The mountain splits apart to reveal the Queen of the Night— seated on a royal throne decorated with stars—who charges Tamino with rescuing her daughter. Papageno returns, his mouth still padlocked. The Three Ladies unfasten the lock, give Tamino a magic flute and Papage- no a glockenspiel, and send the two men to rescue Pamina from Sarastro, the High Priest of Isis and Osiris. Three Spirits (sometimes called “genies”—divine individuals—for their wise teachings) accompany Tamino and Pa- pageno on their journey to the castle. In Sarastro’s palace, the Moorish servant Monastatos has bound the princess Pam- ina in chains and is about to force himself upon his prisoner. Papageno enters through the window and startles the Moor. Pamina calls on her mother. Papageno reveals that the Queen of the Night has sent him and an unknown prince to rescue Pamina. The bird catcher longs to have a wife of his own. Pami- na offers reassurance. The Three Spirits lead Tamino to a grove in front of the Temples of Wisdom, Reason, and Nature, encouraging him to remain steadfast on the difficult, noble journey ahead. A Voice stops Tamino from entering the Temples of Reason and Nature. Sarastro, whom he seeks, rules the Temple of Wisdom. Tamino plays on his magical flute, a soothing sound echoed by Papageno’s panpipes. Papageno and Pami- na attempt escape, but they are captured by Monostatos. The bird catcher’s magical glock- enspiel entrances the Moor. A loud fanfare and chorus announce the en- trance of Sarastro on a chariot drawn by li- ons. Pamina confesses guilt: Monostatos’s un- wanted advances left no choice but to escape. Sarastro cannot allow Pamina to return to her mother. Monostatos enters with Papageno and Tamino in custody. As punishment for his reprehensible actions, Sarastro orders the Moor to be whipped 77 times. Act Two. Sarastro and the council of priests process into the Temple of Wisdom and con- sider Tamino’s virtue, discretion, and gener- osity. The High Priest entreats Isis and Osiris to grant wisdom to Tamino and Papageno, who swear a vow of silence. Pamina enters, and Sarastro bids the lovers to say farewell to each other before the trials commence. Tamino cannot accept Pamina as his wife until he has completed the ordeal. Papageno prefers to remain single, though he begins to dream of an imaginary “Papagena.” The priests depart, and Tamino and Papageno are left in darkness. The Three Ladies tempt the men to abandon their pursuit of wisdom. Pa- pageno struggles to keep his vow of silence. The priests drive out the Three Ladies and Lions pulling Sarastro, from the stage design for the original production of The Magic Flute RAVINIA MAGAZINE • JULY 31 – AUGUST 14, 2023 26