Die Zauberflöte

Yesterday I was invited by my dear auntie Mimmi O’Connell to see the fabulous Zauberflöte composed in 1791 by Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The opera was premiered in Vienna on 30 September 1791, at the suburban Freihaus- Theater auf der Wieden. Mozart conducted the orchestra, Schikaneder himself played Papageno, while the role of the Queen of the Night was sung by Mozart’s sister-in-law  Josepha Hofer.

The ROH settings by John Macfarlane are outstanding , powerful and overwhelming. The masonic mysticism and the comedy are present, despite some critics that also say that there is a luck of love/comedy and too much darkness in this interpretation. I believe that we don’t have to be too “blase”… My only sadness is that Diana Damrau was not singing with her powerful voice the Queen of the Night, hopefully she will come back to Covent Garden very soon! My next Opera will be Mme Butterfly, but I would also love to see the Anne Nicole Smith one …