The Magic Flute 3 page paper

The Magic Flute

The opera I watched was Die Zauberflöte, also known as The Magic Flute in english. This opera was written by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The work was premiered on September 30, 1791 at Schikaneder’s Theatre, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna, Italy. It was one of Mozart’s last works, premiering two months before his death. The opera was originally performed in German. The opera was heavily influenced by enlightenment ideals, as well as freemasonry. During watching this opera, I learned that operas can contain some spoken word, which I later learned was a revolutionary plot device used by Mozart, and The Magic Flute was one of the first major operas offering any spoken word. The scenery used in this play is very artistic and extravagant, while remaining functional and technologically advanced. I think Mozart used spoken word and descriptive stage scenery because he knew that opera was evolving, and even though it was a rich man’s hobby, less fortunate people were beginning to attend these performances. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, although being one of the most famous classical composers in history, came from humble beginnings, which easily allowed him to relate and connect with people who were not born into wealth. He was able to write and compose at an advanced level, while still remaining relevant and prominent on all levels of society. Because of his upbringing and the way he delivers his opera, when it premiered I’m sure that it was very well received by people of all backgrounds across a multitude of societies and cultures. The simple, comedic nature of the opera allowed for it to be enjoyed by people of all ages. This is why the opera still survives today. The ideals of enlightenment that are prevalent throughout the story made it an exciting story that resonated with the audience. This piece is important to opera and the chronology because it was one of the first operas that offered universal themes to people around the world. It’s also one of the most prominent operas because of the prominence of the composer and writer. If I was a video game developer and was tasked with creating a modern version of The Magic Flute in the form of a video game, I would create a game with lots of colors and extravagant costumes. It would be following the story of the prince named Tamino as he walks through the woods. The game would begin as Tamino wakes up in the woods, and then the player of the game would be tasked with following the storyline through a multitude of options, allowing the gamer to create their own story, and not having the follow exactly the storyline set forth by Mozart.