Had he not died two months after the premiere of The Magic Flute, perhaps Mozart's life would have changed entirely as a result of its enormous success. Premiered on September 30, 1791, and Mozart died on December 5, the opera was therefore established as his last great finished work and one of the greatest works of operatic literature. The opera, sung in German, tells in two acts the story of Tamino, who, together with Papageno and with the help of his charming flute, tries to rescue Pamina from the clutches of her evil mother, the Queen of the Night.
The idea came from librettist, actor, and producer Emanuel Schikaneder, a well-known member of the Masonic lodges. Mozart, for his part, had "enlisted" no more than six years earlier. Hence Die Zauberflöte has often been described as a Masonic oratorio, a reflection of the libertarian ideas of its time, which, of course, it contemplates. But the opposite perspective points to it as a sublime fairy tale suitable for all audiences. What is not in dispute is that both "producers", Mozart and Schikaneder, were going through a lean period. Cash had to be made. And this is easier to do by appealing to a broad audience than to one with exquisite ideas.
The overture
Completed only a few days before the premiere, it is one of the few overtures of its time that does not make use of the thematic material of the rest of the work. In this precise case, nothing else could be expected. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart carried a musical idea in his head for ten years, which he had "borrowed" from a sonata by Muzio Clementi.
After clearly establishing the tonic (E flat) with a couple of chords, the allegro based on Clementi's theme begins, to which Mozart applies a fugato treatment that makes it more complex, making it not very recognizable. Even so, each time he published the sonata, Clementi took care to clarify that it had been composed ten years before the Magic Flute.
Sir Neville Marriner conducts the Academy of St Martin in the Fields.
It lasts nearly seven minutes.
