In November 1793, the mother of Goethe, the German poet, had the opportunity to appreciate the enthusiasm that the performance of Mozart's Magic Flute aroused in the population of Frankfurt. Her impression, somewhat picturesque, was registered in her diary:
"Nothing new to note here, other than that The Magic Flute has been performed eighteen times and that every night the hall was full to the rafters. I don't think there is anyone who would dare to confess that he had not seen it. All the workers, the gardeners, and even the people of Sachsenhausen, whose children spend the day idle, queue up. Nothing like it has ever been seen before. The theater opens every day at four o'clock, yet hundreds of people are left without a place. They have made a lot of money!"
None of this Mozart saw, of course. He had died two years ago.
But how he would have loved to live it!
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| Schikaneder, as Papageno. Ignaz Alberti engraving |
On the day of the premiere in Vienna, September 30, 1791, the audience was somewhat cold at the end of the first act. Only for the second and final act did it manage to cheer up, giving a warm welcome to this "implausible magical tale full of fantasies", in Goethe's opinion. However, Mozart was left with the feeling that instead of the music, the audience was celebrating the spectacular staging by Emanuel Schikaneder – author of the verses, the idea, impresario, singer and the one in charge of playing Papageno, the "bird catcher" of the Queen of the Night.
Papageno
Of course, the ordinary public – Goethe's mother reminds us – could not remain indifferent to the fresh joviality of this "supporting actor", assistant to the protagonist Tamino who must rescue the princess and daughter of the Queen of the Night, kidnapped by a sinister character. For this purpose he has a flute –magical, by the way – and the invaluable help of this half-man, half-bird being, who supplies the Queen of the Night with birds in exchange for food.
Papageno - Papagena duet. A candid hero, Papageno, celebrates that Tamino falls in love with the princess at the mere sight of her portrait. And he wonders when love will inflame his own life; if there will be a Papagena. Apparently, there is one, but on the occasion, he loses her. At the end of the play, after many twists and turns, they meet again. This time it is for good. Papageno and Papagena will be one and will create a whole brood of little Papagenos and little Papagenas. That's what they sing.
The video begins with the last lines of the previous aria. As Papageno, the German baritone Detlef Roth. In the role of Papagena, the French soprano Gaële Le Roi.
