THE MAGIC FLUTE

(DIE ZAUBERFLTE)

Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Study Guide for Pacific Opera Victorias Production April, 2009

EDUCATION UNDERWRITER

YOUTH PROGRAMS SPONSOR

OPERA IN SCHOOLS SPONSORS

PACIFIC OPERA VICTORIA, 1815 BLANSHARD STREET, SUITE 500, VICTORIA, BC V8T 5A4

WWW.POV.BC.CA

Welcome to Pacific Opera Victoria!

This Study Guide has been created primarily to assist teachers in preparing students for their visit to the opera. It is our hope that teachers will be able to add this to the existing curriculum in order to expand students understanding of opera, literature, history, and the fine arts. Materials in the Study Guide may be copied and distributed to students. Some students may wish to go over the information at home if there is not enough time to discuss in class. The opera experience can be made more meaningful and enjoyable when students have the opportunity to learn about the opera before they attend the performance. Please visit http://www.pov.bc.ca. to download this study guide or to find more information about The Magic Flute, including musical selections from POVs Best of YouTube and artist biographies. POV Study Guides for other operas are also available for download. Teachers: Your comments and suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please take a few minutes to fill out the questionnaire at the end of this study guide.

Please Note: The Dress Rehearsal is the last opportunity the singers will have on stage to work with the orchestra before Opening Night. Since vocal demands are so great on opera singers, some singers choose not to sing in full voice during the Dress Rehearsal in order to preserve their voice for opening night.

Contents
Welcome to Pacific Opera Victoria! _____________________________________________ 2 Cast List _________________________________________________________________ 3 Introduction ______________________________________________________________ 4 The Story ________________________________________________________________ 5 The Music ________________________________________________________________ 8 Discovering The Magic Flute __________________________________________________ 13 Mozart and Magic in Vienna: POVs Production ___________________________________ 14 Evolution of POVs Stage Design _______________________________________________ 15 Links for Further Learning ____________________________________________________ 17 Directions for Further Learning ________________________________________________ 19 Teachers Comments ________________________________________________________ 22

______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

The Magic Flute

(Die Zauberflte)
Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
First Performance September 30, 1791, Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna

Dress Rehearsal April 14, 2009, 7:30 pm Performances April 16, 18, 21, 23, 25 at 8 pm. April 27 at 7 pm Royal Theatre, Victoria, BC
Sung in German with English dialogue and surtitles

CAST & CREATIVE TEAM

Cast in order of vocal appearance

Tamino, a prince First lady Second lady Third lady Papageno, a bird-catcher The Queen of the Night Monostatos, servant of Sarastro Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night Three spirits First Priest Second Priest Sarastro, High Priest of Isis and Osiris The Speaker Papagena Armed Guards Conductor Director Set & Costume Designer Lighting Designer Projections Designers Resident Stage Manager Assistant Stage Managers Apprentice Stage Manager Chorus Master & Rptiteur Artistic Director, Victoria Children's Choir Conductor for April 27th performance

Colin Ainsworth Lucia Cesaroni Leticia Brewer Erin Lawson Hugh Russell Aline Kutan Michel Corbeil Shannon Mercer Members of Victoria Childrens Choir Alexandre Sylvestre Joseph Schnurr Uwe Dambruch Bruce Kelly Marilyn Arsenault Joseph Schnurr, Alexandre Sylvestre Timothy Vernon Glynis Leyshon John Ferguson Gerald King Miles Lowry, David Ferguson Jackie Adamthwaite Steve Barker, Connie Hosie Melissa Tsang Michael Drislane Madeleine Humer Giuseppe Pietraroia

With the Victoria Symphony, the Pacific Opera Victoria Chorus, and members of the Victoria Childrens Choir
Cast and programme are subject to change.

ARTIST SPONSORS
Dr. Erika Kurth: Glynis Leyshon, Director Robert Milne: Colin Ainsworth, Tamino Michael Morres: Hugh Russell, Papageno Jane Russell, Investors Group: Aline Kutan, Queen of the Night Elisabeth Silvester: Uwe Dambruch, Sarastro Board Member (Anonymous): Marilyn Arsenault, Papagena

PRODUCTION SPONSOR

David Schneider

This production is generously supported by a gift from David H. Flaherty ______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

Introduction
One of the most-performed operas in the world, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflte, K. 620) is an opera in two acts, composed in 1791 by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was persuaded to write the music by his friend Emanuel Schikaneder, an actor, singer, dancer, playwright, director, and impresario, whose theatre company churned out light comedies, farces and spectacles for middle class Viennese audiences. Schikaneder wrote the libretto for Die Zauberflte, creating the story out of a hodge-podge of plays, romances, fairy tales, and Masonic lore. He probably didnt expect it to do more than make a bit of money and keep the audience amused. In his eyes it was just another Singspiel (a popular form of German play, usually comic, that included spoken dialogue interspersed with songs). The opera premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791. Mozart conducted the orchestra. Schikaneder played Papageno, while the role of the Queen of the Night was sung by Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer. It was immensely popular. Mozart wrote his wife Constanze a week later: I have this moment returned from the opera, which was as full as ever. As usual the duet 'Mann und Weib' and Papageno's glockenspiel in Act I had to be repeated and also the trio of the boys in Act II. But what always gives me most pleasure is the silent approval! You can see how this opera is becoming more and more esteemed. The Magic Flute was Mozarts last opera; he fell ill and died just over two months after its premiere, but the work remains perhaps the most beloved legacy of this great composer. Mozart added to the comedy and fantasy of the Singspiel genre a new profundity that influenced German music and opera for generations. Beethoven called The Magic Flute Mozarts greatest work, for therein he for the first time reveals himself as a German master. And Beethoven thought enough of the music that he wrote two sets of variations for cello and piano, one on Papageno`s aria Ein Mdchen oder Weibchen and the other set on Bei Mnnern, welche Liebe fhlen, another delightful aria sung by Papageno in the opera. That colossus of German opera, Richard Wagner, said of Die Zauberflte, What celestial magic prevails in this work from the most popular melody to the most sublime hymn! What variety, what manysidedness! In truth, genius has here made almost too great a giant step; for in creating German opera, Mozart at the same time gave us the most perfect masterwork of its kind, which cannot possibly be surpassed, nay, whose genre cannot even be enlarged and developed. It is simply impossible to explore all the layers of this opera. Pacific Opera's Artistic Director Timothy Vernon calls it an operatic Great Chain of Being. Just as in Shakespeares plays, reality and magic collide, and the result is greater than the sum of its parts. There is no definitive interpretation, no way any production can capture all its richness and subtlety. A perfect work to welcome newcomers to the world of opera, The Magic Flute never ceases to intrigue. It invites even the most jaded and experienced among us to revisit it time and again. One commentary says of it: The Magic Flute almost defines a masterpiece, because it can be enjoyed on every level. It is a superb fairy story, complete with dragons, demons, a handsome prince, and a lovely maiden seriously in need of rescue; it is a political satire, social commentary, and psychological drama; it is full of tunes from the playful to the heart-stopping, jolly songs, and deeply spiritual outpourings. It is, in short, 'Mozart' and there is no greater compliment than that. (Naxos) Perhaps the most succinct comment on the greatness of this opera came from Neville Cardus, a great English critic and long-time writer for the Manchester Guardian, best known for his writing on music and cricket. He said, The opera is the only one in existence that might conceivably have been composed by God.

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The Story
Act I

The first scene opens to Taminos cries for help as he is pursued by a serpent. As he falls unconscious, the three ladies-in-waiting of the Queen of the Night arrive and kill the snake. They are quite taken with the good-looking young man, and each vies to be the one to stay with him while the others report back to the Queen. Eventually, they all unwillingly leave together. Tamino awakes, disoriented and mystified by the sight of the dead snake. He sees someone approaching and hides. The stranger sings of his job as a birdcatcher (Der Vogelfnger bin ich ja) and longs for a net to catch girls so that he can marry the one he likes best. When Tamino askes who he is, the birdcatcher, Papageno, explains that he makes his living bartering birds to the ladies of the Queen of the Night in exchange for food and drink. Assuming Papageno is his rescuer, Tamino asks how he could have killed the serpent without any weapons. Papageno boasts that he needs none: a strong squeeze of his hand is more effective than any weapon. The three ladies return and scold Papageno for telling lies. They tell him the Queen is sending him water instead of wine, a stone instead of bread, and, instead of sweet figs, a padlock for his mouth. They tell Tamino that it was they who killed the snake. They then show him a picture of the Queens daughter Pamina. Tamino falls instantly in love (Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schn / this image is enchantingly beautiful). The three ladies tell Tamino that Pamina has been kidnapped by an evil demon. The Queen then appears to urge Tamino to rescue her beloved daughter from the evil Sarastro, promising that if he succeeds, Pamina will be his forever (O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn! / Oh, do not tremble, my dear son!). Tamino is eager to comply. The Queen leaves. Papageno still has his mouth padlocked shut, and Tamino is unable to help him (Quintet: Hm hm hm hm). The three ladies remove the lock, making Papageno promise never again to tell lies. They then give Tamino a magic flute, worth more than gold or crowns that will protect him on his quest and bring love and happiness to humans. Papageno has no intention of going
Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

anywhere near Sarastro, who is sure to have him plucked and roasted and fed to the dogs. However, the ladies insist that Papageno accompany Tamino, and they give him a set of magical bells to protect him, then send the young men off, guided by three mysterious spirits. At Sarastros palace Pamina is dragged in after her latest attempt to escape. She is left alone with the brutal Monostatos just as Papageno, who has been sent on ahead as a scout, arrives. When Papageno and Monostatos see one another, each is convinced that the other is the devil, and Monostatos flees. Papageno recognizes Pamina as the daughter of the Queen of the Night and brings her up to date on her mothers recruitment of the heroic Prince Tamino to save her. Pamina is touched. When she learns that Papageno has no wife not even a girlfriend she assures him that Heaven will soon send him a girl, and they sing an ode to love (Bei Mnnern, welche Liebe fhlen / In men, who feel love, A good heart is not lacking ... it is through love alone that we live. Love sweetens every sorrow). The two then leave Sarastro's palace. Meanwhile, the three spirits lead Tamino to a grove where the temple of Reason, Nature, and Wisdom is standing. The spirits leave, advising him to be constant, patient, and discreet. Tamino tries to enter the temple but is refused admittance at the first two doors. Finally he tries the door of the Temple of Wisdom. A priest appears and tells him that he has been duped and that Sarastro is not the evil villain depicted by the Queen. Tamino asks if Pamina is alive, but the priest says he is sworn not to tell him. An invisible chorus assures him that she is alive. Overcome with gratitude, Tamino takes his flute out and plays it. (Wie stark ist nicht dein Zauberton / How powerful your magic sound is, sweet flute, since through your playing even wild animals feel joy.) He hears the sound of Pagagenos pipes and rushes off to find him. Papageno and Pamina are overtaken by Monostatos and his servants. Papagano desperately plays his magical bells. The music works its enchantment, and their captors are set dancing,
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allowing the pair to elude their captors (Das klinget so herrlich, Das klinget so schn! / That sounds so wonderful, That sounds so beautiful!). No sooner have Pamina and Papageno escaped than they hear the chorus of the priests announcing Sarastros arrival. Terrified, Papageno asks what they should say. Pamina replies, The truth, even if it were a crime! The frightened pair are taken into custody. Pamina explains to Sarastro that she fled his palace in order to escape the attentions of Monostatos.

Sarastro reassures her but insists that she must stay with him and be guided by a man rather than have her happiness entrusted to her proud mother. Monostatos arrives with another prisoner Tamino. Tamino and Pamina meet each other for the first time and embrace. Monostatos expects Sarastro to punish the young man, but instead Sarastro has Monostatos punished. The chorus praises Sarastros wisdom as he orders Tamino and Papageno brought into the temple to begin their trials of purification.

Intermission
Act II

Addressing the Brotherhood, Sarastro states that Tamino must undergo a series of trials to attain light and wisdom and to win Pamina, who has been destined by the gods for Tamino it was for this reason that Sarastro seized her from her mother Sarastro then prays, (O Isis and Osiris) that the gods bestow the spirit of wisdom on the young couple, strengthen them with patience in danger, and receive them if they should die during the trial. In response to questions from the priests, Tamino proclaims that he is willing to risk his life in his quest for friendship and love. But Papageno says that fighting isnt his thing and that hed be contented with sleep, food and drink and, if possible, a pretty little wife. The priests tell him hell never get a wife unless he submits to the trials and they just happen to have the perfect wife set aside for him. Papageno is intrigued about this girl named Papagena. The priests announce the first trial a trial of silence. The two young men will be able to see their lovers but must not speak. (Bewahret euch vor Weibertcken / Beware of womanly wiles: this is the brotherhood's first duty! ) The three ladies appear and try to persuade them to abandon their quest, but, despite some lapses on Papagenos part, the young men persevere. Meanwhile Monostatos creeps in on the sleeping Pamina (Alles fhlt der Liebe Freuden / Everyone feels the joys of love).

When the Queen of the Night appears, he hides and watches as Pamina tells her mother that Tamino is now with Sarastro. The Queen gives Pamina a dagger, saying she will disown her daughter unless she kills Sarastro (Der Hlle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen / The revenge of Hell boils in my heart, Death and despair are blazing around me). Pamina is appalled. After the Queen vanishes, Monostatos tries to blackmail Pamina by threatening to reveal the murder plot unless Pamina becomes his lover. She refuses and is saved by Sarastros arrival. When Pamina begs Sarastro not to punish her mother, Sarastro reassures her that he is not vengeful (In diesen heil'gen Hallen kennt man die Rache nicht / In these hallowed halls, revenge is unknown). The trials of Tamino and Papageno continue. They are again told they must remain silent. But the inveterate chatterbox Papageno falls into conversation with an old woman actually the lovely young Papagena who brings him water. After she disappears, the three spirits appear, bringing food, Papagenos magical bells, and Taminos flute. Pamina hears Taminos flute and seeks him out. Because he is still undergoing the trial of silence, he sadly refuses to answer her. Pamina is heartbroken (Ach, ich fhl's, es ist verschwunden Ewig hin der Liebe Glck! / Ah, I feel it, it has vanished! The joy of love gone forever!). Tamino still has two dangerous trials to undergo. Sarastro brings Pamina and Tamino together to say a final farewell, although Sarastro suggests that if
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Tamino is worthy, the gods will protect him and they will meet again. Left behind, Pagageno feels lost, abandoned, and frightened. The Speaker tells him he has failed his test and although he wont be punished, he will never be among the Initiated. Papageno doesnt care and says all he wants at the moment is a glass of wine a wish that is instantly granted. Papageno then realizes hed really like something else after all: a wife (Ein Mdchen oder Weibchen wnscht Papageno sich! / A girl or a wife is what Papageno really wishes for). Instantly, the old woman reappears, asking him to promise to be faithful to her. When it becomes clear that the alternative is to remain imprisoned alone with only bread and water, Papageno agrees, though not without a muttered aside that the old woman will do until someone prettier comes along. No sooner has he sworn to be faithful than the old woman is transformed into the enchanting young Papageno and then shooed away by the Speaker. The three spirits welcome the approach of dawn and of wisdom among mankind: Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verknden Soon, heralding the morning, the sun will shine forth on its golden path. Soon superstition shall vanish, soon the wise man will triumph ... then earth will be a realm of heaven, and mortals will be like gods. The three spirits notice Pamina, out of her mind with grief and despair, preparing to kill herself.

They stop her, assuring her that Tamino loves her. The spirits then take her to him. Tamino, about to begin the final trials, is now allowed to speak to Tamina. The reunited lovers express their joy (Tamino mein! O welch ein Glck! / My Tamino, oh, what happiness!) and Pamina promises to stay by Taminos side and to lead him through the trials, guided by love and the magic flute, which had been carved by her father from a thousand- year- old oak. (Wir wandeln durch des Tones Macht / By the power of music we walk cheerfully through the dark night of death!). The couple now endure the Trials of Fire and Water together, guided by the music of the magic flute. Meanwhile Papageno pines for his lost Papagena (Weibchen, Tubchen, meine Schne / Little wife, little dove, my beautiful one) and threatens to hang himself. The three spirits persuade him to play his magic bells. Papagena appears, and the delighted pair, stammering with happiness (Pa-pa-pa, pa-papa, Papagena!) envision a life together with many little Papagenos and Papagenas. The Queen of the Night, Monostatos, and the three ladies try to storm Sarastros temple and free Pamina so Monostatos can have her for his wife, but they are destroyed by Sarastros forces of light. All rejoice. Es siegte die Strke, und krnet zum Lohn Die Schnheit und Weisheit mit ewiger Kron Love has triumphed, rewarding beauty and wisdom with an everlasting crown!

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The Music
What transforms the sophisticated, joyous adventure of The Magic Flute into one of the most remarkable masterworks in the repertoire is, of course, Mozarts music. Its a fascinating grab-bag of styles, encompassing infectious folk airs, sonorous hymns, and coloratura pyrotechnics, that somehow all come together into a marvellous whole. The Magic Flute is not a traditional opera, in which all the vocal parts are sung, either as arias (tunes for solo voice), ensembles (tunes for two or more voices) or recitative (passages that are sung or chanted using the rhythm of natural speech rather than following a strict musical metre). Instead, The Magic Flute is a form of German musical theatre called a Singspiel (pronounced Zing-shpeel). Translated literally as sing-play, a Singspiel is a kind of hybrid opera in which musical numbers often folk ballads and popular songs are strung together with sections of spoken dialogue. Singspiele are rather like today's musicals, except that The Magic Flute still demands an operatic voice a highly trained voice with the power to be heard in a large theatre over a full orchestra without a microphone. Although the Singspiel is a German form, the only really German element in many Singspiele is the language and the simple folk songs. The first Singspiele were actually translations of English ballad operas plays which alternated spoken dialogue with lyrics set to popular tunes. The most famous example of the ballad opera is John Gay's The Beggar`s Opera, which was among a string of English ballad operas that were translated into German and performed in Germany in the early 18th century. French comic operas (Opra comique) were also frequently transcribed into German as well. In the 18th century, Italian opera dominated Europe and England and was the operatic form preferred by the aristocracy and the German and Austrian royal courts. German-language opera was relegated to performances by touring companies who presented Singspiele in the language of the common folk, with comic or romantic plots, elements of magic, and comically exaggerated characterizations of good and evil easy escapist fare. Most of Mozart's operas were written in Italian and followed the traditional forms of Italian opera: opera seria (heroic or tragic operas) such as Idomeneo and La clemenza di Tito, and opera buffa (comic operas), such as The Marriage of Figaro, Don Giovanni, and Cos fan tutte, (although the latter two are usually classified as dramma giocoso ("jocular drama"), for their rich mixture of the serious and the comic. However, Mozart did compose a few Singspiele, starting when he was 12, with the one-act Bastien et Bastienne, followed in 1786 by another one-act opera, Der Schauspieldirektor (The Impresario), the unfinished Zaide, and Die Entfuhrung aus dem Serail (The Abduction from the Seraglio) which premiered in 1782 and remains popular today. Die Entfhrung aus dem Serail was the one success of a short-lived attempt by Emperor Joseph II to develop German opera. In 1776, in a fit of nationalism, Joseph II established the German National Theatre at Vienna's Burgtheater. Two years later he established a German-language opera troupe, the National Singspiel and fired most of the Italian performers. His goal was to develop German theatre and opera and a sense of German identity. However, almost all the works performed were translations from the French and Italian, and the emperor's own taste ran to Italian opera. With these two strikes against it, the brief experiment petered out in 1783. In the following years commercial theatres sprang up in Vienna offering German-language opera. But these Singspiele were intended as money-making entertainment for the masses, not as an expression of German nationalism. The impresario Emanuel Schikaneder had particular success with his Theater auf der Wieden in the suburbs of the city. It was here in 1791, that Die Zauberflte had its premiere, with Schikaneder as librettist, producer, director and performer (he was the first Papageno). Die Zauberflte remains the finest example of the Singspiel tradition by any composer of any time. However, it defies such simple categorization, since it incorporates elements from other operatic genres. The other great crowning glory of the Singspiel tradition is, surprisingly, Beethoven's Fidelio, which adapts the genre to a serious subject.

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In Die Zauberflte we find elements of Singspiel in the magical motifs such as the gadgets that protect Tamino and Papageno; in some of the tuneful folk songs, notably those sung by Papageno; and in the sense of danger and adventure for example, the snake that threatens Tamino and the Perils-of-Pauline atomosphere when Monostatos terrorizes Pamina. But opera seria bursts in with the stupendous music for the Queen of the Night the recitative and aria O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn and the revenge aria Der Hlle Rache. Between the two extremes are the pieces sung by Tamino, Pamina, and Sarastro with their directness and emotional sensitivity. By the late 19th century Singspiel would evolve into operetta, a form made famous by composers such as Franz von Supp, Johann Strauss II, and Franz Lehr. Singspiel also strongly influenced later German opera composers such as Wagner and Richard Strauss and was a major factor in the development and dominance of German opera during the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Conductor Timothy Vernon, who knows a thing or two about music, says of The Magic Flute: The level of sheer musical inspiration is dizzying. While most of its idiom is glass-clear classical harmony with only the occasional chromatic intrusion, it suggests something new in Mozart's thinking, and is in this sense more 'prophetic' than Figaro or Giovanni. Our thoughts about how to play Mozart have changed radically in the past decades as a result of the 'period practice' movement with its concern for original instruments, styles of playing and even pitch. The music benefits greatly in charm and spontaneity from increased flexibility and sprightliness born of nimbler tempi and a 'gestural' approach to phrasing. Pacific Opera Victoria's production of The Magic Flute will focus on keeping the Zing in the Spiel with light, brisk tempi, keeping the sense of play, of magic and wonder.

You can listen to examples of music from The Magic Flute on POVs website at http://www.pov.bc.ca/flute.html. Below are a few highlights from the opera, with links to web pages where you can hear the music and, in some cases, see a portion of an actual production. Act 1
Papageno: Der Vogelfnger bin ich ja (The bird-catcher, thats me!)

Papageno sings about his job as a birdcatcher and adds that he'd really like to catch a girl to have for a wife. A net for girls I'd really like, I'd catch them by the dozen for me! If all the girls were mine, I'd trade in sugar and to the one I liked the best, I'd give the sugar at once. And then if she kissed me tenderly, she'd be my wife and I her husband. She'd fall asleep at my side, and I would rock her like a child. This is essentially a folk song in the Singspiel tradition direct, appealing, and tuneful in keeping with Papageno's character, which is perhaps the most engaging in the opera.

He is not particularly heroic, and his human failings get him into constant trouble. As he explains later in the opera, Fighting isn't my thing. I don't basically want any wisdom either. I'm a kind of child of nature, taking pleasure in sleep, food and drink; and if it were even possible some time for me to capture a pretty little wife. But somehow hes dragged into this heroic epic; despite himself he rescues a princess, undergoes trials of courage, and wins a girl of his own in the end. His music is like his character folksy, charming, warm-hearted, down to earth, braver than he realizes, and utterly irresistible. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWhqi0SGEqA
Tamino - Francisco Araiza. Papageno - Wolfgang Brendel. Director - August Everding. Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch. Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

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Tamino: Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schn (This image is enchantingly beautiful)

Papageno, Tamino, the Three Ladies: Hm! Hm! hm! (no translation needed)

As soon as he sees the portrait of Princess Pamina, Tamino is enthralled. As he gazes at the picture, he bursts into this ardent song, expressing his love and his longing to see Pamina, to embrace her, and to have her with him always. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XfoiyTl5coI
Tamino - Francisco Araiza. Director - August Everding. Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch. Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

Because Papageno still has his mouth padlocked shut for telling lies, all he can do is hum strenuously although no words are needed to express what he wants. In the ensuing quintet, the three ladies release him, give the two young men the magic flute and bells, and send them on their rescue mission (though Papageno needs considerable persuading). Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R14eFEPav9U.
Tamino - Francisco Araiza. Papageno - Wolfgang Brendel. Director - August Everding. Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch. Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

The Queen of the Night: Recitative: O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn! (O tremble not, my dear son!) Aria: Zum Leiden bin ich auserkoren (To suffer I have been chosen)

Pamina and Papageno: Bei Mnnern welche Liebe fhlen (In men, who feel love)

This is the first of the two great coloratura arias sung by the Queen of the Night. Coloratura singing is full of elaborate florid ornamentation and is usually associated with a very high soprano voice. In keeping with his habit of writing music to suit his singers, Mozart wrote this aria specifically for the first Queen of the Night, his sister-in-law, Josepha Hofer. The brilliant coloratura suits the vengeful, passionate, otherworldly dark force represented by the star-blazing Queen. In the opening recitative, the Queen tells Tamino not to be afraid, that he is innocent, wise, and noble, and that she, a sorrowful mother, needs his help. The aria proper follows as the Queen recounts how her daughter was kidnapped from her by an evil scoundrel.
To suffer I have been chosen, for my daughter is gone from me. Through her all my happiness has been lost

At Sarastro's palace Papageno meets Pamina and tells her that Prince Tamino has fallen in love with her. When she learns that Papageno has no wife not even a girlfriend Pamina assures him that Heaven will soon send him a girl, and they sing an ode to love. This charming duet suggests what will become clear later in the opera the central importance of finding love and making a human connection, of men and women finding a way to go forward together, joined by love. In men, who feel love, A good heart is not lacking. ... It is through love alone that we live. Love sweetens every sorrow. Nothing is more noble than wife and man, Man and wife and wife and man attain divinity. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH8UI6Bp9CY
Pamina - Lucia Popp. Papageno - Wolfgang Brendel. Director - August Everding. Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch, Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

At first the aria is slow, sad, and gentle, telling of a mother's grief. It then it gives way to a more intense, faster pace as she bursts into the fiery coloratura, enlisting Tamino's help and promising that Pamina will be his if he frees her: Du, du, du wirst sie zu befreien gehen,( You, you, you, will go to set her free). Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mvRPekFqJg
Natalie Dessay at Aix-en-Provence Festival, 1994.

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Act 2

Sarastro: O Isis und Osiris

Sarastro sings a prayer to the gods Isis and Osiris, asking them to protect Tamino and Pamina as they undergo their trials. O Isis and Osiris, bestow the spirit of wisdom on this young couple! You who guide the wanderers' steps, strengthen them with patience in danger. The great Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw once said that the music created for Sarastro was the only music that could be put in the mouth of God. The warmth and the sublime nobility of this music evoke the wisdom and far-sighted benevolence that Sarastro represents in the opera. Listen: www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_IaJDqz2Zo
Sarastro - Kurt Moll. Director - David McVicar. Conductor - James Levine. Metropolitan Opera, 1991

unearthly voice of soprano Edda Moser telling Pamina to kill Sarastro. Voyager 1 is now about 10 billion miles from earth, and Voyager 2 is some 8 billion miles away. Even after they run out of electrical power sometime around 2025, they will continue to wander through the Milky Way galaxy. Long after the sun dies and the earth is destroyed, Mozarts Queen of the Night may still be travelling among the stars. Listen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C2ODfuMMyss

(audio and video)

Queen of the Night - Diana Damrau. Pamina - Dorothea Rschmann. Director - David McVicar. Conductor - Colin Davis. The Royal Opera House Covent Garden, 2003.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDGa9GC1pS0 (audio)
Audio of a live 1972 recording of Edda Moser singing Der Hlle Rache. The Voyager satellites contain a recording of this singer performing the aria.

The Queen of the Night: Der Hlle Rache (The vengeance of Hell)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzf9aN1toG0 Audio of 8 sopranos singing selections from this aria. Sarastro: In diesen heil'gen Hallen (Within these hallowed halls)

On his death Pamina's father had given the Seal of the Seven Circles of the Sun to Sarastro, depriving the Queen of her power. The Queen now learns from Pamina that her potential son-in-law Tamino has gone over to the enemy, Sarastro. Demanding vengeance, the Queen gives Pamina a dagger and threatens to disown her daughter if she does not kill Sarastro. The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart, Death and despair flame about me This is one of the most familiar coloratura arias ever. It demands extraordinary vocal range and flexibility to carry off the elaborately ornamented vocal lines and the very, very high notes this aria contains the highest note in the standard repertoire (F6 2 octaves above middle C). Although a few less-performed works call for higher notes, this aria continues to exemplify the human voice at its most stunning. Der Hlle Rache was the only operatic selection chosen to accompany the Voyager spacecraft on their journey to the stars. Launched in 1977, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2 each carry a phonograph record of sounds and images selected to tell extraterrestrials about Earth. If any alien beings find one of the Voyager satellites and play the record, they will hear the
Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

In stark contrast to the Queen's vengeance aria is this solemn hymn by Sarastro, promising mercy. Despite her horror at the Queen's demand, Pamina begs Sarastro not to punish her mother. He responds: Within these hallowed halls One does not know revenge. And should a person have fallen, Love will guide him to duty. As in Sarastro's first aria, O Isis und Osiris, there is a sense of the wise leadership, compassion, and wisdom whose attainment justifies the trials that Tamino and Pamina must endure. This aria expresses the principles of enlightenment woven into the opera as the characters move from the darkness represented by the Queen of the Night to the light of wisdom, humanity, and love. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdRaAtfgMd8
Sarastro - Matti Salminen

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Pamina: Ach, ich fhl's, es ist verschwunden Ah, I feel it, it has disappeared

This is perhaps the most tragic moment in the opera. Pamina is heartbroken as Tamino, bound by the trial of silence, refuses to speak to her and Papageno, for once, keeps silent, just when we're counting on him to help by blurting something out! This deeply moving outpouring of grief and despair prepares us for Pamina's later attempt to kill herself. Ah, I feel it, it has disappeared, Forever gone, all my happiness,
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtG5A1WFYWI
Pamina - Kathleen Battle. Tamino - Francisco Araiza. Papageno - Manfred Hemm Metropolitan Opera, 1991

Papageno: Papagena, Papagena, Papagena! Weibchen, Taubchen (Papagena, Little wife, little dove)

Pining for his darling Papagena, Papageno calls out for her in vain. Finally, desolate, he decides to hang himself, although his "goodbye cruel world" act is clearly not as serious as Pamina's, and he keeps looking for excuses to delay. Finally as he's ready to go through with it, the three spirits intervene and tell him to play his bells. He does so, and Papagena appears. A delightful duet ensues.
Papageno and Papagena: Pa-pa-pa, pa-pa-pa. papagena (no translation needed)

The three spirits: Bald prangt, den Morgen zu verknden

This trio, sung by the three spirits, makes explicit the symbolism of light and darkness in the opera. Soon the sun will appear to announce the morning, Soon superstition will disappear, Soon the wise man will conquer. then earth will be a realm of heaven, and mortals will be like gods. As the dawn of day approaches, so does human enlightenment and wisdom. The final defeat of the forces of darkness is at hand. First, however, the three spirits must rescue Pamina from the darkness of her own spirit as in her despair over Tamino's apparent rejection, she determines to take her own life. Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0pgCz-Pv9Vo
Pamina Lucia Popp. Director - August Everding Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch, Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

At first stuttering in astonishment and delight, then falling into an exuberant love duet, Papageno and his beloved envision the family they will have: My dear little wife, dove of my heart, What joy it will be when the gods give us children from our love Darling little children First a little Papageno, then a little Papagena, Then again a Papageno, Then again a Papagena It is the happiest of feelings when many, many, many, many Papageno(a)s are in their parents' care! Listen: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zuzyGi8Ls0
Papageno - Wolfgang Brendel. Papagena - Gudrun Sieber. Director - August Everding. Conductor - Wolfgang Sawallisch, Das Bayerische Staatsorchester, Bavarian State Opera, Munich, 1983.

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Discovering The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute is quintessential Mozart delightfully simple on the surface, the perfect way to introduce a child to opera. After all, this is the composer who wrote a set of variations on Twinkle, twinkle, little star. And hes the namesake for the Mozart Effect, which has entered popular consciousness as the concept that listening to Mozart makes kids smarter. But theres more to Mozart and to The Magic Flute. The more we get to know this opera, the more complex and elusive it becomes. It can be interpreted in a dizzying variety of ways. It was written, not as a hifalutin piece for the courts, but as a theatrical entertainment for the public. That said, courage, nobility, and love, not to mention underpinnings of Masonic lore and enlightenment philosophy, are all in there, cheek by jowl with the humour and the magic. It can be treated as a childrens fantasy with lions and tigers and bears, monstrous serpents, and elaborate special effects. Or as the Da Vinci Code of opera an enormously popular thriller with elements of secret societies, danger, a religious backdrop, an intrepid team on a quest for truth. As Timothy Vernon notes, The story with its quest motif in the foreground, and something as deeply layered as the shift from matriarchal to patriarchal order in the background, remains compelling, its fascination undimmed by repetition and the helplessness of many productions which fail to take seriously the challenge of the trials or the Manichaean chiaroscuro of the great symbolic battle raging around the merely human characters. The Masonic vocabulary the almost inexhaustible trios of everything from flats in the key signature through Ladies, Knaben, chords even the ubiquitous musical triad may have lost something of its mystifying allure, but we all know magic when we hear it! Reams of paper, gallons of ink, gigabytes of computer memory have been expended in attempts to analyze this opera and to pin down its magic. And yet a child can walk in, sit down, and be enraptured. Timothy, again: Zauberflte remains a fresh and enigmatic challenge to any and all who would produce it. The folkish bumptiousness of some of its humour can be misleading: it is a work of true profundity - whether or not this was intentional, it is surely a not unnatural expectation of a supreme genius at the height of his creative powers. Like Tempest or Faust, there can be no definitive production, its
Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

scope is grand, and fundamental ambiguities remain; no single manifestation can exhaust everything in the piece. It is an operatic Great Chain of Being. Infinitely malleable, this opera has seen an astonishing variety of interpretations, from straightforward productions with Germanic forests and quasi-Egyptian temples, palm trees and pyramids to fanciful and mystical depictions set in various mythic Neverlands. Among recent interpretations are a production by cartoonist Gerald Scarfe for LA Opera. Described as exuberantly distorted and loopy, it featured genetically engineered beasts, including a giraffstrich (giraffe and ostrich) on stilts and a crocoguin (crocodile and penguin). The Metropolitan Opera recently presented an abridged English-language version by Julie Taymor (creator of the 1997 Tony-award-winning Broadway megahit The Lion King). Taymors child-focused production featured giant puppets and dancing bears in a multicultural landscape. In 2007, Vancouver Operas unique First-Nationsinspired production featured Papageno in the colours of a Stellers Jay, Sarastros priests in the ceremonial garb of 10 different nations, and the intrepid heroes setting off on their journey in a golden canoe. An acclaimed 2007 adaptation for the Isango/Portobello company, an all-black company from South Africa, was performed with marimbas, percussion, and a magic trumpet, while Papagenos magic bells were played on glass Coke bottles amid tribal chants and traditional African dance. Kenneth Branagh's wildly unorthodox 2006 film placed the opera in the trenches of World War One and incorporated comic strip elements such as a giant pair of red lips floating in the countryside! Branaghs riff on the opera transforms the snake that threatens Tamino into a serpentine cloud of mustard gas; the three ladies who rescue him are field nurses, and Papageno keep the canaries used to detect lethal gas. The Queen of the Night rides a tank and sings her great aria Der hlle Rache as Pamina is tied to a spinning windmill. Whether one loves them or raises an eyebrow at them, each of these interpretations is thoughtprovoking. Theres a kind of Mozart effect here as we learn new perspectives on an old favourite while always revelling in the sine qua non of this opera the ineffable magic that Mozart weaves with his music. 13

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Mozart and Magic in Vienna: Pacific Opera Victoria's Production

Pacific Opera Victorias production of The Magic Flute may be the first ever to be inspired by a train station! Its the brainchild of Artistic Director Timothy Vernon, who has long dreamed of producing a Flute that evokes the enchantment of the Vienna he knew as a student. Director Glynis Leyshon and Designer John Ferguson are running with the concept, supported by the lighting designs of Gerald King and projection designs by artists David Ferguson and Miles Lowry. The idea makes sense. Even when Die Zauberflte is set in Egypt to suit the temples of Osiris and Isis, Vienna is its spiritual home. Here Emanuel Schikaneder produced his spectacles for the common folk: fantasies with elaborate special effects and theatrical machinery, sure to appeal to the public in the same way musical theatre spectacles like The Lion King and Phantom of the Opera or movie franchises like Batman or James Bond draw in the crowds today. Here Schikaneder wrote the libretto for this Singspiel, creating the story out of a hodgepodge of plays, romances, fairy tales, and Masonic lore. He probably didnt expect it to do more than make a bit of money and amuse the audience. And here in Vienna, Mozart wrote the music for this hybrid opera. He took the comedy and fantasy of a Singspiel, added a new profundity that influenced German music and opera for generations, and gave us one of the most beloved masterpieces in the repertoire. How is Pacific Opera conceiving its production of The Magic Flute? As usual, Pacific Opera Victoria is creating a new production and building it in our own production shop. Weve had a little help with the interpretation this time, thanks to Timothy Vernon: Somehow to retain a Viennese flavour while renewing the perspective has been our goal; a century after the first Magic Flute, in a city full of art and innovation, Otto Wagner put his
Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

stamp on the place and the period with some magic of his own and in a way which still enchants. Thats where the train station comes in. The look of this production is inspired by the municipal train station Otto Wagner designed for Karlsplatz in Vienna and by the era in which it was built. One of the most important architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Otto Wagner combined technical and engineering expertise with an aesthetic sense that resulted in the harmonious marriage of beauty and function that was the essence of art nouveau. The art nouveau movement represented a holistic approach to life and art a belief in making art part of everyday life. Any utilitarian object, from a bridge to a chair, could be a thing of beauty. In Wagners hands, many of the nuts and bolts of Viennas city infrastructure became works of art that continue to intrigue and delight. One of Wagners most famous buildings is the Karlsplatz Pavilion. Part of a string of stations he designed for Viennas first public transport system, it was built in 1898. By the 1960s it had to make way for a subway line, but the Pavilions buildings were restored and today serve as a caf and an art museum dedicated to the architect. With its marble slabs and gilded ornamentation, apple-green trim, and sunflower motifs, Karlsplatz is an epitome of utility, beauty, and harmony, evoking the enchantment of Mozarts masterpiece and the elegant musical structure on which it rests. The graceful elegance of fin-de-sicle Vienna and the spirit of Otto Wagners marvellous creation are the inspiration for our setting of The Magic Flute. Art Nouveau is known in German as Jugendstil, meaning Youth Style an appropriate concept for an opera that appeals to young and old alike, that is, among so much else, about growing up and facing the music, about being young and in love and in Vienna.

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Evolution of POVs Stage Design

Pacific Operas production of The Magic Flute, set in Vienna at the turn of the 20th century, will feature Edwardian costumes and a set inspired by Otto Wagners 1898 Karlsplatz pavilion. Designer John Ferguson is creating an airy, crystal and gold effect to evoke the transcendent loveliness of Mozarts music and the magic of the story. A variety of scenes, including Tycho Brahes model of the solar system, a garden, and the serpent that threatens Tamino, will be projected on a large oculus (a round opening from the Latin word for eye). The projection designs are by Victoria artists Miles Lowry and David Ferguson.
The inspiration: Karlsplatz Pavilion, Vienna Sketch by designer John Ferguson

Models of the Set

Model of the Oculus showing an image of Tycho Brahe's model of the solar system.

Arched gateway with the Oculus behind it

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Set Construction in Pacific Opera Victoria's Production facility

The Oculus, with Director Glynis Leyshon and Artistic Director Timothy Vernon. Right, on the wall, painted scene by production artist Paul Dishaw and plexiglass pieces for the arched gateway.

Right: Detail of a backdrop painted by scenic artist Paul Dishaw

Closeup of Plexiglas element with sunflower motif for arched gateway

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Links for Further Learning

The Magic Flute http://www.dlib.indiana.edu/variations/scores/vaa0618/large/index.html Vocal score of the opera (in German) http://www.opera-guide.ch/libretto.php?id=254&uilang=en&lang=en An English translation of the libretto http://www.dogstar.dantimax.dk/magflute/flutetxt.html An interesting overview of the opera, including a survey of ways in which The Magic Flute can be interpreted from a fairy tale to a commentary on the French Revolution, from a Masonic opera to a Star Wars perspective (think of Luke Skywalker as Tamino, Princess Leia as Pamina, Darth Vader as the Queen of the Night, with Obi Wan Kenobi as Sarastro, and C3PO as Papageno). The article, written by Stephen W. Seifert, former executive director of Opera Colorado, also discusses some of the many sources for the libretto. http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/ The web site of the Grand Lodge of British Columbia and the Yukon. Explore the site to learn more about the Masons, their history, and frequently asked questions. There are several articles on the site about Mozart and The Magic Flute, including these: http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography//mozart_a/mozarts_magic_flute.html http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography//mozart_a/TheMagicFlute.html http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/biography//mozart_a/mozart_a.html

Video and Audio See the Music section of this study guide for links to specific music from the opera (beginning on page 9). Below are additional audio and video links: http://www.uctv.tv/search-details.asp?showID=5046 San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: Mozart's The Magic Flute This 27-minute video Podcast (first aired in 2000 by University of California Television) includes a brief synopsis of the opera and a discussion of Mozart and his life, along with an introduction to Freemasonry and the Masonic elements in Mozart`s life and The Magic Flute, and a look at some recordings of the opera. http://www.eddamoser.com/content/germany/germany.html Edda Moser's web site (in German). Listen to several audio recordings by the soprano whose voice is on the Voyager spacecraft. http://www.myspace.com/eddamoser Edda Moser's Myspace page with several audio tracks. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6MMamY1AQI Highlights from Kenneth Branagh`s 2006 film of The Magic Flute http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zGMz8OlunO0 French trailer to Kenneth Branagh`s 2006 film of The Magic Flute

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Mozart http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wolfgang_Amadeus_Mozart Overview of Mozarts life and work, with many links for further exploration. http://www.artsalive.ca/pdf/mus/mozart_en.pdf Lets Go Mozart! A Teacher Resource kit from Canadas National Arts Centre http://www.pov.bc.ca/pdfs/mozart.pdf Biography of Mozart and list of his operas

Images http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Mozart_magic_flute.jpg The Arrival of the Queen of the Night from a famous 1815 stage set for Die Zauberflte by Karl Friedrich Schinkel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Papageno.jpg Emanuel Schikaneder as the first Papageno. The picture appeared on the front page of the original edition of the libretto of the Zauberflte.

Otto Wagner and Art Nouveau http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/ An exhaustive site exploring art nouveau. Links, photos, education materials for all ages http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau Introduction to Art Nouveau, with many links http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Otto_Wagner Photos of several of Wagner's buildings. Click on U-Bahnhof Karlsplatz (Wien) to see a large selection of photos of the Karlsplatz pavilions http://www.outbackphoto.com/places/2001/jugendstil/20010910_jugendstil.html Another striking series of Art Nouveau (Jugendstil) photos, including several of Wagner's buildings. http://www.wienmuseum.at/english/frameset.asp?submenu=3&page=http://www.wienmuseum.at/english/1435.htm Website of the Wien Museum on the site of the Karlsplatz Pavilion

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Directions for Further Learning

For Elementary and Middle School Students
Explore and Colour Costumes
Pacific Operas costumes for The Magic Flute are based on styles from about 100 years go at the turn of the 20th century. The designers costume sketches are available on our web site and may be downloaded for students to examine, discuss, and colour. Go to http://www.pov.bc.ca/flute_production.html and click on the link for Costume Designs to download a pdf file of black and white drawings.

Tell a Story
Choose a character in The Magic Flute and make up a story about what happened to this character before the beginning of the opera or after the opera ends. Here are some examples. Prince Tamino is the son of a king who rules over many lands and people. When the opera starts, Tamino is in a strange country a long way from home, being chased by a dangerous serpent. How do you suppose this happened? Papageno makes his living trading birds to the ladies of the Queen of the Night in exchange for food and drink. But the Queen and her ladies are gone at the end of the opera, and Papageno and Papagena are planning to get married and have lots of children. Imagine what will happen after the opera ends.

Design an Opera Production

Design your own production of The Magic Flute. Choose a time and place to set your production. It can be anywhere, at anytime. Use your imagination. Now you need to design a set that matches the time and place you have chosen. What scenery or furniture do you need to have on stage? Draw your set. You may need a different set for each scene of the opera. Design the costumes for your characters. You may need more than one costume for some characters.

For Middle School and High School Students

Character analysis
Read the synopsis of The Magic Flute and, if possible, a translation of the libretto. You can find one online at http://www.opera-guide.ch/libretto.php?id=254&uilang=en&lang=en
Create a character sketch for one of the main characters. Consider the following questions:

What motivates this character? How does the character`s motivation affect his or her actions? What is the characters relationship with the other characters? Why does the character make the choices he or she does? How is the character's personality expressed through the music of the opera? Include evidence from the opera to support your claims. Include information about the following: Characters name and family background Physical Characteristics (style and physical attributes) Psychological Characteristics (mental aspects of character, how does he/she think?) Emotional Characteristics (is he/she generally cheerful, sad, gentle, angry?) How the events in the opera have affected the character Anything else you think is important about the character After seeing the opera, look at your character sketch again. Does any aspect of the performance or the music change your view of the character? Why? Do the emotions conveyed through the music fit the character sketch?
Create a journal or blog from the point of view of your character: Choose a point of conflict for the character you chose for your character sketch, and write a journal or blog of those events from the characters point of view, using the character profile for assistance. Take on the persona of that character and refer to the character in the first person. Remember to express only information that your character would know. ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

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Discover Vienna
Mozart spent the last 10 years of his life living and working in Vienna. Many of the buildings standing today played parts in the composers daily life. In 2001, the Historic Center of Vienna was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2006 the city (and the world) celebrated the 250th anniversary of Mozarts birth. Find out more about the city where Mozart lived, the home of The Magic Flute. Here are some links to get you started. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vienna An excellent overview of Vienna with many fascinating links http://www.luxurytraveler.com/mozart_vienna.html Mozarts Vienna: Learn about some of the places Mozart lived and worked in Vienna. http://www.wien.info/article.asp?IDArticle=12229 More about Vienna, Mozarts place in it, and the art, architecture, and culture of the city. http://www.wien.gv.at/english/webcam/index.htm Visit Vienna in real time by seeing the view from several webcams in the city. Describe what you see when you look at the webcams. What time of day is it in Vienna? How many hours difference is there between the time in Vienna and the time here? Did you know that a Canadian, Sir Sandford Fleming, came up with the idea of Time Zones? Find out more about time zones. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_zone http://www.timeanddate.com/: Find out what time it is in Vienna and in many other cities all over the world as well as the weather, the time of sunrise and sunset, and much more. Other calculators on this site tell you how many days, hours, and minutes between two dates. Find out how many days it has been since the first performance of The Magic Flute. Or how old you are in hours!

Astronomy: Exploring the Universe

Der Hlle Rache, the second aria of the Queen of the Night, is one of the recordings being sent into outer space on the Voyager spacecraft. Some day an extraterrestrial being may encounter one of the Voyager spacecraft, play the Golden Record of sounds from earth, and hear the voice of soprano Edda Moser telling Pamina to kill Sarastro. Visit the following web sites and learn more about the Voyager spacecraft and the Golden Record. From these web sites you can link to other sites, including some especially for students. Select a topic to explore in more depth. http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/music.html (List of the music on the Golden Record: Note that in addition to the Queen of the Night's aria, it includes a recording of the great Canadian pianist Glenn Gould playing a Prelude and Fugue by Bach). http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_1 (Wikipedia article on Voyager 1) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voyager_Golden_Record (Wikipedia article on the Golden Record, with many links) http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/ (NASA's main Voyager site) http://voyager.jpl.nasa.gov/spacecraft/goldenrec.html (Explanation and photo of the Golden Record)
Examples of topics for discussion and further exploration

Discuss the Voyager spacecraft in time and space: How far away are they? How long did it take them to get there? How long does it take for a message to travel to earth? How long will the spacecraft continue to transmit data? Describe the Voyager spacecraft and the instruments they carry. What has the Voyager mission discovered about the planet Saturn (or Jupiter / Uranus / Neptune)? What else is on the Golden Record? How will aliens figure out how to play the Golden Record?

Creative Writing
Imagine that aliens come across one of the Voyager spacecraft . Write a story or a play about what might happen next.
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For High School and Post-Secondary Students

Architecture and Design: Art nouveau and the world of Otto Wagner
Art Nouveau was in many ways a response to the Industrial Revolution with its new technologies and materials and the advent of mass production changes that could mean progress and the availability of well designed, decorative items for everyone or the decline of high-quality, hand-crafted objects in favour of shoddy machine-made goods. Art nouveau artists aimed to apply high standards of craftsmanship and design to everyday objects; they believed that all the arts should work in harmony to create a "total work of art," or Gesamtkunstwerk: buildings, furniture, textiles, clothes, and jewelry all conformed to the principles of Art Nouveau. Explore art nouveau or a particular art nouveau artist or designer. An introduction and a list of many art nouveau artists can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Art_Nouveau Another very useful site on art nouveau is this one: http://www.artnouveau-net.eu/

For Anyone
A Review of the Opera
Before you see the opera, you might read a few examples of reviews for fine arts events from the newspaper, or have a look at some online reviews of opera. Below are some examples of reviews of The Magic Flute from the Internet. http://www.artinfo.com/news/story/24623/william-kentridges-take-on-the-magic-flute-arrives-in-us/ Artinfo.com: Ronald Blum reviews William Kentridge's staging at the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Gilman Opera House (April, 2007) http://www.kqed.org/arts/performance/article.jsp?essid=20087 KQED Arts: Rebecca Krouner reviews San Francisco Opera's production of Gerald Scarfe's design. (October, 2007) http://russells-theatre-reviews.blogspot.com/2008/01/magic-flute-young-vic-friday-11th.html Russell's Theatre Reviews: a blog by Russell Bowes. This post reviews Mark Dornford-May's 2007 adaptation for the Isango/Portobello company, an all-black company from South Africa; the adaptation played first in Cape Town and then in London http://www.brooklynrail.org/2007/02/music/magic-flute The Brooklyn Rail: Betty Leigh Hutcheson reviews Julie Taymor`s 2007 staging for the Metropolitan Opera. http://www.branaghcompendium.com/magicflute.html Links to reviews, articles, and interviews about Kenneth Branagh's 2006 movie The Magic Flute. After seeing The Magic Flute, make some notes in point form, answering the following questions: What did you like about the opera? What did you dislike? What did you think about the sets, props and costumes? What did you think of the singers portrayal of their characters? Did anything puzzle you about the opera or the production? Would you have done something differently? Why? What were you expecting? Did it live up to your expectations? Discuss your reactions with your fellow students. Feel free to go beyond the questions listed above. Then begin to outline your review. Keep in mind that a review should contain the following: A clearly stated purpose (why are you writing this and who is your audience?) A brief plot synopsis (including who sang what role, etc.) A coherent series of paragraphs comparing and contrasting things you liked or didnt like A summary / closing paragraph Your review should capture the interest of the reader. Once your outline has been completed, write your rough draft. Exchange reviews with other students to critique and edit. Focus on effective and logical expression of ideas and correct grammar and punctuation. Edit and revise your review until you have a polished final version. Students might submit their writing for publication such as a school newspaper. Students are also welcome to send the reviews to Pacific Opera. We would love to hear your thoughts!
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Teachers Comments
Your comments and suggestions are greatly appreciated. Please take a few minutes to fill out this questionnaire and return it to the address below. Thank you for your comments and suggestions. Name: ________________________________ School: _____________________________________ Address: _____________________________________________________________________________ Phone Number: ________________ Fax: ___________________ Grade(s) you teach: ________________ Email: _____________________________________ Subjects: __________________________________ Have you attended other arts events with your students in the past year? Yes No

If yes, what were they? __________________________________________________________________ Were you able to use the Teachers Study Guide in your classroom activities before attending the opera? Yes No If not, please elaborate: _________________________________________________________________
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If so, which sections of the Study Guide did you find most useful?
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How appropriate was the information provided in the Study Guide? _______________________________
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What would you add/delete?

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Did you spend classroom time discussing the performance after your students attended the opera? Yes No Do you have any comments about the performance itself?
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Would you like to receive information on our future Student Dress Rehearsals? Yes How would you like to receive information? Fax

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Please return this form to:

Pacific Opera, 1815 Blanshard Street, Suite 500, Victoria, BC

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Fax: 250.382.4944

Or scan and email to mwoodall@pov.bc.ca ______________________________________________________________________________________________________ Pacific Opera Victoria Study Guide for The Magic Flute 2009

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