Stage Your Own Magic Flute

Papageno — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:53:43 +0000

The picture above is from “Prinz Tamino”, a beautiful book by Michael Sowa. The book has the sub-title “Märchen und Papiertheater nach Mozarts Zauberflöte” (“Fairy Tale and Paper Theater based on…”). The picture is actually of one of the pages (of heavy card stock) that comprise the paper theater. The figures may be punched out and you can put on your own Magic Flute paper production.
And the fairy tale is fun too. It is indeed an abbreviated version of the Flute with the whole cast of characters. But best are the wonderful illustrations by Sowa. Here are a couple of images from the book.

The first is Tamino meeting the Queen of the Night and the second is the entrance to the trial by fire. Really great. And there are many, many other wonderful images of characters and settings in the book.
The text is in German. But even if you can’t read the story you will delight in the illustrations and, of course, the paper theater!

Michael Sowa
PRINZ TAMINO
Märchen und Papiertheater nach
Mozarts Zauberflöte
mit einem Capriccio von Eckhard Henscheid
published by Aufbau-Verlag GmbH, Berlin 2000
ISBN 3-351-04002-4

A Strike in Munich

Papageno — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 19:22:05 +0000

On a trip to München back in 2006, my wife and I were strolling around the city and as we approached the Staatstheater am Gärtnerplatz we noticed some people picketing. Curious, we walked closer and saw it was the stage workers that were on strike. And as a result the evenings performance (I think it was supposed to have been “Fiddler on the Roof”) was cancelled.
Then we saw this banner. (It’s over one-and-a-half meters tall.)

Wow! A concertante performance of Die Zauberflöte. Well, since they had no stage workers, a performance without scenery and costumes was all they could muster. But a chance to see (or rather hear) a live Magic Flute should not be passed up. So, we went inside to see if they still had any tickets. The lady at the counter almost laughed and said they had plenty!
A quick call to our friends who we were scheduled to dine with that evening to ask if they wanted to join us. No takers so we told them we would meet them after the performance. (I think they thought we were a bit crazy.) We paid the (very reduced) price for two tickets and killed the hour or so until it started.
Well, it was brilliant! Turns out it was a chance for the principles to go through the music before the premiere in a couple of weeks and since there were only about thirty people in the audience the performance was very relaxed and everyone seemed to be having a great time. In fact it was some of the best singing we’ve heard live. And the orchestra was so lively and fluid. All the performers were there for the love of their craft and they really connected with the few of us in the hall.
Ah, those once in a lifetime opportunities.
Oh, so what about that big banner? Well, I thought I would ask if they would let me have one of the smaller posters as a souvenir of this one-off evening. The gentleman said he couldn’t open the cases but I could have the banner! I unroll it now and then and we remember the Zauberflöte without scenery or costumes that enchanted us in München!

Programmhefte

Papageno — Tue, 28 Dec 2010 15:50:19 +0000

The title translates to program (or programme) booklets and refers to the programs you get at an opera, theater, or other performance.
(Click on any of the images for larger versions.)

Sitting comfortably at home and listening to opera, such as one of the many fine audio recordings of Die Zauberflöte, is a great pleasure. Of course, opera is also a visual medium and there are a number of fine video recordings making it possible to listen to, and view, a performance at home. But neither compares to the experience of a live performance. A live performance involves you in ways that a recording cannot.
Over the years, my partner blackcat and I have seen many live performances, open-air, in the opera house, and even once in a convention center. Most were good, some not so good, and a few were extraordinary (the productions of the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf and the Semperoper in Dresden come to mind). But all generated the excitement that comes from being there for that truly unique experience, that unique performance.
Another plus about going to a live performance is being able get a program. Now, the quality of these programs varies greatly. Some are not much more than a list of the performers. Others are really just glossy brochures of ideal performances past (the touring company at the convention center, for example). The most interesting are the programs produced by the standing opera houses to showcase their current productions. The best are rich with photographes and artwork and have background information about the opera, the composer and librettist, the production, and history and commentary. This is a page from a very informative program article in the form of a glossary.

Sometimes, however, the programs have relatively little to do with the opera but rather say more about the personality of the opera house, or the producers. These are attempts to make the program itself a statement. A favorite example, from a local opera house, was a collection of poetry and artwork with little or no connection to the Magic Flute outside of the authors imagination. Were the poets and artists friends of the author? Was she forced to read these poems in school? I have no idea. But it is so over the top with self importance that it is a treasure of my collection.
Here is an example. The following shows some sketches by Achim Freyer that may, or may not, be drafts for the set design for the opera.

Having seen the production I am inclined to believe that they are, indeed, preliminary sketches for the set design. Here are some of the set design models. They are also by Achim Freyer, the designer of the opera sets and costumes.

Whether the program is good or a something of a joke, I do enjoy occasionally thumbing through the collection and remembering the excitement I felt when the conductor raised his hands and then the familiar chords that begin the adventure sound out. Magic moments, those.

The “Mozart Effect”

Papageno — Sat, 05 Jun 2010 12:32:37 +0000

I suspect that most of you have heard of the so-called “Mozart Effect”. That listening to classical music, and Mozart in particular, enhances brain function and can increase intelligence—even for the not-yet born. (link to the Wikipedia article) There are even special sound systems for a sort of elevator music experience for unborns (the link is not an endorsement).
And the “Moozart Effect” [sic] has been credited with higher production rates in dairy cows.
But it seems that maybe Mozart is good even for more basic life forms than human fetuses or cows. A recent article in The Guardian newspaper (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/02/sewage-mozart-germany) says that the director of a sewage plant here in Germany is playing Mozart operas to the sludge. I quote:

Anton Stucki, Swiss-born chief operator of the sewage centre in Treuenbrietzen, an hour south-west of Berlin, believes the chords and cadences of the compositions speed up the way the organisms work and lead to a quicker breakdown of biomass.

“We think the secret is in the vibrations of the music, which penetrate everything – including the water, the sewage and the cells. It creates a certain resonance that stimulates the microbes and helps them to work better. We’re still in the test phase, but I’ve already noticed that the sewage breakdown is more efficient,” he said.

He goes on to say that the preferred opera is The Magic Flute. So, Zauberflöte fans, it seems we’re in good company!

A Cadenza for the Three Ladies

Papageno — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 15:48:30 +0000

In the original autograph, Mozart included a cadenza for the three ladies in scene one. This was removed early on and replaced by a short two bar bridge.
In his 1995 recording of the Flute, William Cristie has reinserted this cadenza. In the sample here, we pick up the first scene at the end of bar 187. At bar 205 the cadenza begins (19 bars) and returns at bar 207. That is, bars 205 and 206 in the edited score replace the cadenza.

The excerpt is from the ERATO CD no. 0630-12705-2. Die drei Damen are sung by Anna-Maria Panzarella, Doris Lamprecht, and Delphine Haidan; Les Arts Florissants conducted by William Christie. I rate it as a must-have recording!
The Bärenreiter score (no. 155) includes the cadenza as an appendix.

Pamina. Here she is.

Papageno — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 21:31:13 +0000

In an earlier post I wrote about a duet by Tamino and Papageno, “Pamina, wo bist du?”. I finally got around to locating a copy of the Edition Peters piano score to Die Zauberflöte mentioned by Herr Sawallisch. And sure enough, as an appendix is the duet “Pamina wo bist du?”. Interesting is the comment of the publisher. You can see it in the image below. I have made a translation that I hope is accurate.

(From Edition Peters Nr. 4967)
The following published duet between Tamino and Papageno is in a handwritten score of the “Zauberflöte” that was found by Georg Richard Kruse(1) in the archive of the Theater an der Wien. Hermann Dieters(2) has stated that he is skeptical regarding the authenticity of the piece based on stylistic and dramatic reasons. [He wrote, ]‘The authenticity of this cannot yet be vouched for and it does not appear to me to fit very well in the dramatic context. Also, it falls considerably behind the musical level of the other pieces of the “Zauberflöte”‘
Hermann Abert(3) felt he could recognize Mozart’s handwritting in the duet but concludes his statement with the following sentence: ‘Mozart later correctly struck this makeshift piece because it is not dramatically or musically at an appropriately high level.’
The publisher sees no reason to recognize this piece as authentic.

The notes are mine.
(1) Georg Richard Kruse (* 17. Januar 1856 in Greifswald; † 23. Februar 1944 in Berlin) was a musicologist and well-known as an author on music for Reclam-Verlages.
(2) Jahn, Otto. W.A. Mozart. 4. Auflage, edited and supplemented by Hermann Dieters. Leipzig: Breitkopf & Haertel, 1905-1907.
(3) Prof. Dr. Hermann Abert (* 25. März 1871 in Stuttgart; † 13. August 1927 ebenda) was a music historian.

Edition Peters, Nr. 4967, Page 183

Beethoven meets Mozart

Papageno — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:49:27 +0000

It must be obvious from this site that I am a big fan of Die Zauberflöte. And I really like many of Mozart’s other operas (Le Nozze di Figaro, Die Entführung aus dem Serail to name a couple). But along side these, my “desert island” collection would include lots of Beethoven.
Mozart was a major influence on Beethoven. Beethoven traveled to Vienna during the period Mar.-May, 1787 to study with Mozart (but was called back to Bonn when his mother fell ill). He had great respect for Mozart. In 1796 Beethoven wrote in a letter “I have always counted myself amongst the greatest admirers of Mozart, and shall remain so until my last breath”.
Beethoven wrote a number of variations based on themes from Mozart operas. He considered Die Zauberflöte to be Mozart’s best.
In 1796, Beethoven wrote 12 Variations for Piano & Cello in F major on “Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen”, Op. 66. Here are variations one and two.

In 1801 Beethoven wrote 7 Variations for Piano & Cello in E flat major on the duet “Bei Männern, welche Liebe fühlen”, WoO 46. Here is the first variation.

notes:
These performances are from a recording of Beethoven Cello and Piano music with Pablo Casals and Rudolf Serkin, Sony CD SM2K 58985.
The quote above is taken from The Beethoven Compendium, ISBN 0-500-27871-1

Two (very) different film versions – pt. 1

Papageno — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 21:56:47 +0000

Perhaps I should say film adaptations. There are many fine “filmed” Zauberflöte productions available. I will be looking at some of these in later reviews. But the two films I want to explore here use the medium to do more with the opera than just provide a record of a stage production.
A somewhat radical take on The Magic Flute is the version adapted and directed by Kenneth Branagh with an english libretto by Stephen Fry. I will be writing my thoughts on this film in a later post. The subject of this post is the adaptation by Ingmar Bergman.

I saw Ingmar Bergman’s “Trollflöjten” shortly after its US theatrical release in November, 1975. The film was originally made for Swedish television and premiered there on new year’s day of the same year. It is not an exaggeration to say that this viewing is the reason I now have a web-site dedicated to this opera. It was through this film that I discovered The Magic Flute. Even though it was over thirty years ago I can remember the sense of absolute enchantment I felt then. Yes, it is in Swedish. And, yes, liberties have been taken with the story. But this film is still one of the best (arguably, the best) filmed versions of The Magic Flute.

Bergman wanted to bring to the screen a feeling of what it would have been like to have seen the original production and so sets the film on the stage of the Drottningholm Palace Theatre, a beautiful baroque-era opera house in Stockholm. Well, that is, he wanted to. But the interior and stage machinery of the theater was, at that time[1], considered too fragile to host a film crew so the production was done in an accurate reproduction of the theater in the studios of the Swedish Film Institute. The film is the stage production. But Bergman shows us more than just the actors on the stage. The camera cuts occasionally to the audience, particularly one small child (in fact, Bergman’s daughter) and lets their expressions accent the emotions of the narrative. And we are also occasionally allowed a peek backstage to see stage hands work the set machinery and actors wait for their entrance. And have you ever wondered what happens between the acts? In a tour behind the curtain Bergman shows us and there are a few surprises.
All of this results in a magical experience that will satisfy those new to the opera (in fact this is a great way for those of you who are afraid of opera to acquaint yourself with what the medium can achieve) and will provide new insights for those of you who are already familiar with the story. For example, Bergman makes it clear that Pamina is also Sarastro’s daughter. This puts in place a whole new dynamic in the relationship between the Queen and Sarastro.
If you haven’t seen this beautiful adaptation of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, get the Criterion DVD, take your seat, dim the lights and experience the magic.
Not convinced? Here is a short clip that shows a bit of what I mean. Tamino has just tamed the wild animals with his flute playing. Notice that when Papageno answers on his pipes that he and Pamina are sitting on a ladder behind the stage. You’ll have to see for yourself what causes the expression of delight on the girl in the audience when Papageno and Pamina begin running to Tamino. (I’ll give you a hint. It has to do with some really cool late 18th century special effects.)

This is from the Criterion DVD “Ingmar Bergman’s The Magic Flute” (CRITERION COLLECTION 71, ASIN 0780023080). Sung in Swedish with English subtitles.

[1] A production of Die Zauberflöte was filmed in the Drottingholm Palace Theater in 1989. The Drottningholm Court Theater Orchestra is lead by Arnold Östman. The cast includes Stefan Dahlberg (Tamino), Mikael Samuelson (Papageno), Ann Christine Biel (Pamina), Birgit Louise Frandsen (Königen der Nacht), and Laszlo Polgar (Sarastro). This is a solid performance and well worth a listen. And it looks great. The DVD is on the Image Entertainment label no. ID9309RADVD.

Pamina, where are you?

Papageno — Thu, 26 Feb 2009 00:01:53 +0000

A couple of years ago I purchased a recording of the Flute by Wolfgang Sawallisch with the Bayerische Staatsoper (EMI Classics re-release, originally recorded in 1972).
On my first hearing I was immediately impressed. Then, in the second act, a surprise! A duet by Tamino and Papageno, “Pamina, wo bist du?”, that I had never heard, or heard of, before. The reference books I have listed nothing. Very curious I searched the Net for anything I could find. But the only references were to this recording (for the track listing). Hmmm.

Well, I finally decided that I would write to Herrn Sawallisch and ask him about it. A quick search and I had an address that I hoped was valid.
To my great delight, Herr Sawallisch very kindly answered me a few weeks later. I quote a portion of his letter (I translate):
‘I also had no knowledge of [the duet’s] existence prior to my recording and the gathering of documents by the [recording’s] producer. You will find the duet in the large Köchel catalog [“im großen Köchelverzeichnis”] on page 790 as an appendix. … The piano transcription from [the music publisher] Edition Peters includes the duet as a supplement.’
(Thank you, Herr Sawallisch!)
So, with the text from Köchel and music from a piano transcription, they recorded the duet for what is almost certainly the first time. In fact, it may be the only time it was ever openly performed.
This performance is a gem. I highly recommend it. The second act in particular has a dramatic feel that really carried me along. The cast is great and the ensemble singing, particularly with the two armored men (zwei Geharnischte), is very, very good.
As Herr Sawallisch mentions in his letter it is difficult to find new nuances in a work so often performed and recorded. I think his interpretation here is a very fine one with a beautiful balance of joyfulness and drama. And I applaud his decision to try something new and include “Pamina, wo bist du?”.
However, I do have my doubts as whether this duet was written by Mozart or even if the text was from Schikaneder. It occurs just before the appearance of the three ladies during the first trial and does not fit the mood. The music is a jumble of styles and overall too light for the sentiment and situation. And the text is, well, lame. The brief coloratura singing by Tamino has lead me to suspect that the duet may have been written for, or even by, an early Tamino performer. Years ago it was not uncommon for singers to add a bit extra for themselves.
Regardless whether this duet was written by Mozart/Schikaneder, it is my opinion that it was best forgotten. Listen and decide for yourself. But do seek out this performance of Die Zauberflöte. It is a very good one.
The sample here is from a recording made in August 1972 and released on CD as EMI 3 58607 2 . Wolfgang Sawallisch directs the Orchester der Bayerischen Staatsoper. Tamino is sung by Peter Schreier and Papageno by Walter Berry.

Here is a transcription of “Pamina, wo bist du?”

Duet
Tamino & Papageno

T: Pamina, wo bist du?
P: Ach Weibchen, wo bist du?
Getrennt von dir zu sein,
ist mir die größte Pein.
T: Schatz meinem Herzen,
P: Ach Weibchen, wo bist du?
T: Pamina!
P: Ach Weibchen,
T: Pamina!
P: Wo bist du?
T: Pamina!
Getrennt von dir zu sein,
ist mir die größte Pein.
T: Pamina,
P: Ach Weibchen, wo bist du?
T: Pamina, wo bist du?
P: Ach Weibchen,
T: Pamina,
P: Wo bist du?
T: Wo bist du?
T:
Nur sehen will ich dich,
Und fragen liebst du mich,
Nur sehen und fragen liebst du mich.
Dann tret’ ich kühn
Die Bahn zum neuen Leben an.
T: Nun zur Pamina
P: Und Papagena
Stille, stille…

Queen of the Night(mare)

Papageno — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 23:02:13 +0000

The role of the Königen der Nacht (the Queen of the Night) is the “diva” role in Die Zauberflöte. The role has lots of “virtuoso” singing (coloratura) and she usually gets a big entrance and a great costume. The Queen only has two arias but a good performance (singing and acting) is really important for the entire opera. Because the Queen of the Night is crazy.
Mozart’s music is brilliant at demonstrating for us that this is so. But we don’t know that right away. The Queen’s first aria starts out rational enough. “Oh, zitt’re nicht, mein lieber Sohn!” (“Don’t quake [before me] my beloved son!”) begin her words to Tamino. And the music portrays her as rational enough. She goes on to explain how her only daughter was kidnapped from her by the evil Sarastro and she was powerless to intervene (“Denn meine Hilfe war zu schwach” (“For I was too weak to help”)). And we really feel her pain. Mozart is really brilliant.
Then, we see her true colors. We can almost feel her crack when the tone of the music shifts as she sings “Du, du, du! wirst sie zu befreien geben. Du wirst der Tochter retter sien.” (“You, you, you! will release her. You will be the saviour of my daughter.”). Now, I am not a big fan of coloratura but the Queen’s next bit can only be Mozart’s way of showing us that she is mad. Did I say that Mozart is brilliant? But poor Tamino. What a wimp. He falls for it all.
When the Queen returns in Act II, the coloratura is over the top. Absolutely brilliant. (That word again. Hard to avoid it when talking about this opera.) Kill Sarastro, she tells Pamina. Do it or you are no longer my daughter. Wow, is that dysfunctional or what? Like I said, the Queen is crazy. And the music that Mozart provided her is just beautiful. Beautifully mad.
Here is the great Erna Berger as the Queen singing the second act aria “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen”(“Hellish revenge roils in my heart”). Pretty strong stuff!
This is from a 1938 recording with the Berlin Philharmonic conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham.