("The Labyrinth or The Struggle with the Elements. The Magic Flute's Second Part") is a "grand heroic-comic
opera
Opera is a form of theatre in which music is a fundamental component and dramatic roles are taken by singers. Such a "work" (the literal translation of the Italian word "opera") is typically a collaboration between a composer and a librett ...
" in two acts composed in 1798 by
Peter von Winter to a German
libretto
A libretto (Italian for "booklet") is the text used in, or intended for, an extended musical work such as an opera, operetta, masque, oratorio, cantata or Musical theatre, musical. The term ''libretto'' is also sometimes used to refer to the t ...
by
Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a
Singspiel
A Singspiel (; plural: ; ) is a form of German-language music drama, now regarded as a genre of opera. It is characterized by spoken dialogue, which is alternated with ensembles, songs, ballads, and arias which were often strophic, or folk-like ...
, a popular form that included both singing and spoken dialogue. The opera is a sequel of
Mozart
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (27 January 17565 December 1791), baptised as Joannes Chrysostomus Wolfgangus Theophilus Mozart, was a prolific and influential composer of the Classical period (music), Classical period. Despite his short life, his ra ...
's ''
The Magic Flute
''The Magic Flute'' (German: , ), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. The work is in the form of a ''Singspiel'', a popular form during the time it was written that inclu ...
''.
Performance history
The opera premiered at the suburban
Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna on 12 June 1798. Schikaneder himself played Papageno, while the role of the Queen of the Night was sung by Mozart's sister-in-law
Josepha Hofer-Mayer. Schikaneder was the librettist of Mozart's opera and he was considered to have been "one of the most original and most influential theatre persons of his time". Both artists were reprising their roles from ''The Magic Flute''.
Alexandra Liedtke, the director of the
Salzburg Festival
The Salzburg Festival (german: Salzburger Festspiele) is a prominent festival of music and drama established in 1920. It is held each summer (for five weeks starting in late July) in the Austrian town of Salzburg, the birthplace of Wolfgang Amad ...
production in 2012, interpreted the story and Schikaneder's libretto "as one
fthe great fairy tales of history
.. in which the emblematic and the playfulness are standing in the limelights".
The opera was then also performed at the
Theater an der Wien
The is a historic theatre in Vienna located on the Left Wienzeile in the Mariahilf district. Completed in 1801, the theatre has hosted the premieres of many celebrated works of theatre, opera, and symphonic music. Since 2006, it has served prima ...
and the
Konzerthaus Berlin
The Konzerthaus Berlin is a concert hall in Berlin, the home of the Konzerthausorchester Berlin. Situated on the Gendarmenmarkt square in the central Mitte district of the city, it was originally built as a theater. It initially operated from ...
(1803), the
Opern- und Schauspielhaus Frankfurt (1806), the
Staatstheater Nürnberg
The Staatstheater Nürnberg is a German theatre company in Nuremberg, Bavaria. The theatre is one of four Bavarian state theatres and shows operas, plays, ballets and concerts.
History
Its main venue, the opera house ("Opernhaus Nürnberg"), i ...
(1807) and other venues. In 1978, there was a production without spoken dialogue in an unauthentic musical arrangement, conducted by
Wolfgang Sawallisch
Wolfgang Sawallisch (26 August 1923 – 22 February 2013) was a German conductor and pianist.
Biography
Wolfgang Sawallisch was born in Munich, the son of Maria and Wilhelm Sawallisch. His father was director of the Hamburg-Bremer-Feuerversich ...
, directed by
August Everding
August Everding (; 31 October 1928; Bottrop, Germany – 26 January 1999; Munich) was a German opera director and administrator.
He studied at the Universities of Bonn and Munich, where launching his career in the 1950s. He was a member of the Ro ...
, stage design by Jürgen Rose in the
Cuvilliés Theatre
The Cuvilliés Theatre (german: link=no, Cuvilliés-Theater) or Old Residence Theatre (''Altes Residenztheater'') is the former court theatre of the Residenz in Munich, Bavaria, Germany.
History
Elector of Bavaria Maximilian III Joseph (reg. ...
, Munich, and in September 2002 it was performed at
Chemnitz Opera
Theater Chemnitz is the municipal theatre organization in Chemnitz, Germany. Performances of opera, ballet, plays, symphonic concerts, and puppet theatre take place in its three main venues: the Opernhaus Chemnitz (for opera, ballet and musical t ...
.
In August 2012, the opera was presented for the first time at the Salzburg Festival, in the courtyard of the residence of the Prince Archbishop of Salzburg, conducted by
Ivor Bolton
Ivor Bolton
Ivor Bolton (born 17 May 1958) is an English conductor and harpsichordist.
Early life and education
Bolton was born in Blackrod, Greater Manchester, England. He studied at Queen Elizabeth's Grammar School, Blackburn and Clare Co ...
and directed by Alexandra Liedtke.
In October 2013, the opera was performed in USA for the first time, by New York City's Amore Opera, the small opera company which emerged after
Amato Opera
Amato ( Calabrian: ; ) is an Arbëreshë ''comune'' and town in the province of Catanzaro in the Calabria region of Italy.
History
Amato is one of the oldest towns in Calabria. It is mentioned by the Greek philosopher Aristotle and by the Roman ...
closed.
Roles
Synopsis
![TheaterWien z07](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/92/TheaterWien_z07.JPG)
After fighting against fire and water there are still two elements for Pamina and Tamino which are not defeated: the air and the earth. Tipheus tries to divorce the engaged couple and Monostatos tries to force the love of Papagena. Papageno is meeting his parents and siblings.
Goethe's sequel
There is another sequel to the original ''Magic Flute'', also named , a libretto fragment by
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (28 August 1749 – 22 March 1832) was a German poet, playwright, novelist, scientist, statesman, theatre director, and critic. His works include plays, poetry, literature, and aesthetic criticism, as well as trea ...
, intended to be set to music by
Paul Wranitzky
Paul Wranitzky (Czech: Pavel Vranický, 30 December 1756 – 29 September 1808) was a Moravian-Austrian classical composer. His half brother, Antonín, was also a composer.
Life
Wranitzky was born in Neureisch ( Nová Říše) in Habsburg Mora ...
.
References
*
Branscombe, Peter
Peter John Branscombe (7 December 1929 in Sittingbourne, Kent – 31 December 2008 in St Andrews, Scotland) was an English academic in German studies, a musicologist, and a writer on Austrian cultural history.
Career
Branscombe attended Dulwic ...
(1991) , Cambridge Opera Handbooks series, Cambridge University Press.
* Brukner, Fritz (1934, ed.) . Verlag Gilhofer & Ranschburg, Vienna.
* Buch, David (2004) ", Masonic Opera, and Other Fairy Tales", in ''Acta Musicologica'' 76, 2004.
* Henderson, Donald G. (1983) "''The "Magic Flute'' of Peter Winter", in ''
Music & Letters
''Music & Letters'' is an academic journal published quarterly by Oxford University Press with a focus on musicology. The journal sponsors the Music & Letters Trust, twice-yearly cash awards of variable amounts to support research in the music fie ...
'' 64 (3–4), pp. 193–205.
* Jahrmärker, Manuela and Waidelich, Till Gerrit (1992, ed.) . Hans Schneider, Tutzing.
Further reading
* Waidelich, Till Gerrit (2012) "", in: ''Acta Mozartiana'', 59 (2012), pp. 139–177.
External links
Variations for Pianoforteby
Joseph Wölfl
Joseph Johann Baptist Woelfl (surname sometimes written in the German form Wölfl) (24 December 1773 - 21 May 1812) was an Austrian pianist and composer.
Life
Woelfl was born in Salzburg, where he studied music under Leopold Mozart and Mich ...
,
Bavarian State Library
The Bavarian State Library (german: Bayerische Staatsbibliothek, abbreviated BSB, called ''Bibliotheca Regia Monacensis'' before 1919) in Munich is the central " Landesbibliothek", i. e. the state library of the Free State of Bavaria, the big ...
, Munich.
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Labyrinth, Das
Compositions by Peter Winter
German-language operas
Works based on The Magic Flute
Singspiele
Operas
1798 operas
Operas set in fictional, mythological and folkloric settings