The Magic Flute

Composed by W.A. Mozart
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder

Hoerner Theatre

Previews Wednesday, February 22, 2012
Opens Friday, February 24, 2012
Closes Saturday, March 3, 2012

The annual collaboration between the Department of Theatre Arts and the School of Music is Mozart’s beloved The Magic Flute, which delights and enchants as only Mozart can. Tamino and Pamina are torn apart by an evil queen, and with the company of a host of interesting and fantastical characters, Tamino must rescue his stolen lady. Love and music triumph in this tale of disguise, humor, and virtue.

Notes from the Director, David Lefkowich

In producing the Magic Flute, there is always the question of which language is best to perform the show, English or German. Emanuel Schikaneder wrote the Magic Flute in German in Vienna, Austria, where it was originally performed. As Magic Flute is a singspiel with many scenes of dialogue instead of the more common use of recitative, it is somewhat difficult for American audiences to understand the dramatic action and the comedic timing as it unfolds when it is presented in German. So although Flute is still often produced in German today, it is also performed in the language of the people for whom it is being produced. But performing the show in English brings a few issues of its own. Mozart’s music, however beautiful, does not have the same resonance in English as it does in German. It is a true conundrum: how do you make the opera accessible and yet keep the integrity of the music as Mozart intended?

In this production, you will hear and see a mixture of German and English throughout the show. Tamino, the hero of the story, bravely faces the two equally powerful yet very different worlds of the Queen of the Night and of Sarastro. Tamino must decided for himself which of these two epic characters he should align himself with over the course of the show. In order to heighten the differences between the Queen’s world and that of Sarastro, the production at Ithaca College is set with music and dialogue in a mixture of English and German. The Queen is a villainous character though she initially appears as someone Tamino should trust. The Queen, the Three Ladies, Pamina, Tamino and Papageno all speak and sing in English: a language that the audience will understand and ultimately be able to follow.

In contrast, we chose to set the text and libretto of Sarastro, Monostatos, Priests’ and others in his temple in the original German that Mozart intended. Tamino is tricked by the Queen and taught to distrust Sarastro and his followers. By setting the text of Sarastro, in German, it allows Tamino to initially find Sarastro’s temple as unfamiliar and the characters untrustworthy. As Tamino learns that Sarastro is not as evil as the Queen has led him to believe, he discovers that what was once unfamiliar is now magnificent and beautiful and ultimately the better choice.

If you hear a few characters speaking to each other in different languages, do not be alarmed! Some characters will also change allegiance over the course of the show and will change from English to German or German to English to reflect this change. The show is ultimately about discovering the universal ideas of love, virtue, friendship and trust. In the same way music transcends language barriers, the Magic Flute rises above the language it is presented in to remain one of the most beloved operas of our time.