Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's (1756-1791) singspiel Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute), was written in 1791 and premiered on September 30th of that same year at the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden, the theater run by Emanuel Schikaneder, who wrote the original libretto. An allegorical tale, Schikaneder's plot was influenced by Mozart's interest in Freemasonry, and involves the main character's (Prince Tamino) initiation into that philosophy as he, in attempting to rescue the Queen of the Night's daughter Pamina from the priest Sarastro, instead comes to admire Sarastro's ideals and joins his community instead along with Pamina. The aria "O zittre nicht" from Act 1 marks the first appearance of the Queen of the Night, who dramatically shifts from apparent maternal distress to commanding authority as she entrusts Tamino with the rescue of her daughter Pamina. Musically, "O zittre nicht" combines expressive lyricism with brilliant coloratura display, foreshadowing the character's later virtuoso fury. Instrumentation: 0.2.0.2: 2.0.0.0: Str (4.4.3.3.3 in set): Solo Soprano. Reprint edition.