2018, Term 3, Week 9: Mozart Magic - opera The Magic Flute

The Magic Flute by Mozart is one of the most well known operas. 

SYNOPSIS OF THE MAGIC FLUTE
PRINCE TAMINO 👦 was being chased by a POISONOUS SNAKE 🐍. He faints😵 just as the SNAKE 🐍is about to unleash its deadly bite, but the creature is killed🗡 by THREE LADIES 👵👵👵 who  appear. They are the servants of the QUEEN OF THE NIGHT🌘 and they leave at once to tell her.

TAMINO 👦wakes up and sees a bird catcher, the feathered PAPAGENO🐦, who says that he killed the SNAKE 🐍. The THREE LADIES 👵👵👵 return in time to catch PAPAGENO 🐦 telling the lie, and they padlock 🔒his mouth 🤐to teach him a lesson. 

The THREE LADIES 👵👵👵show TAMINO 👦a portrait of PAMINA 👸, the daughter of the QUEEN OF THE NIGHT🌘. He  falls in love with her immediately💖💖💖.  PAMINA 👸is being held captive 🔑by the priest SARASTRO 👴in his palace. 🏰

THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 🌘arrives and grants TAMINO 👦 permission to marry 💍💒 PAMINA 👸if he rescues her from SARASTRO👴.  TAMINO 👦agrees and sets off on the rescue mission, and PAPAGENO🐦 leaves ahead of him.

PAPAGENO 🐦arrives at SARASTRO's👴 palace 🏰.  A slave called MONOSTATOS👤 brings PAMINA 👸into the room. PAPAGENO🐦  tells PAMINA👸 that a prince 👦is coming to rescue her.

TAMINO 👦 arrives at the palace 🏰.  He believes the QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 🌘is evil and not SARASTRO👴, but he is determined to rescue PAMINA👸. He plays his MAGIC FLUTE🎵🎵 and PAPAGENO🐦, plays his pipes  and bells🎶🔔 so that they can find each other. 

But just as PAPAGENO 🐦and PAMINA 👸 are about to escape they find themselves face-to-face with SARASTRO 👴,who says he cannot grant her freedom, but that she will soon be freed by somebody else.  MONOSTATOS 👤and TAMINO 👦 both arrive, and it is the first time  TAMINO 👦and PAMINA👸 see each other💖💖💖. 

SARASTRO 👴sets challenges for TAMINO👦 and PAPAGENO🐦. If they succeed, he will give his crown 👑 to TAMINO👦 , and he will  find a wife for PAPAGENO 🐦For one trial, they must remain silent 🤐🤐.

Meanwhile, QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 🌘 gives PAMINA👸 a dagger🗡 and tells her she must kill SARASTRO👴 or she will no longer be her daughter. MONOSTATOS 👤 overhears this and tries to bribe PAMINA👸, threatening to reveal the plot, but SARASTRO 👴arrives, banishes MONOSTATOS👤 and forgives  PAMINA👸. 

 An OLD WOMAN👵 visits PAPAGENO 🐦and says he must commit his life to her, or be alone for the rest of his life.  He reluctantly agrees, and the OLD WOMAN 👵then transforms into the beautiful PAPAPGENA😍. PRIESTS arrive and chase her away with thunder and lightning⛈. 

PAMINA👸, not knowing about the trial of silence🤐, is broken hearted  💔when TAMINO 👦will not speak to her. She tries to kill herself with the dagger🗡, but is stopped by THREE SPIRITS.  For the final challenges, TAMINO 👦 must walk through fire🔥 and water🌊. PAMINA 👸stops him and insists they do this together👫. They complete the tasks safely, protected by his MAGIC FLUTE🎵🎵. 

PAPAGENO🐦 is so sad 😢💔because he has lost PAPAPGENA😍,  and he tries to take his own life🗡, but the THREE SPIRITS arrive and remind him of his magic bells🎶🔔. He rings them🎶🔔 and summons PAPAPGENA 😍and she returns 😢.

MONOSTATOS👤, QUEEN OF THE NIGHT 🌘, and THREE LADIES 👵👵👵, plot to destroy SARASTRO's👴 palace, but are stopped my magic forces and are banished into the night🌌.

SARASTRO👴 marries  TAMINO 👦 and PAMINA 👸and everyone cheers👏👏 🎉because they have overcome challenges to find true love💖💖💖.


Now that you have understood the synopsis of the story, here are  a few short videos of it. 
The Magic Flute (46.30 minutes - start about 2 minutes in) 
The Magic Flute  (3.04 minutes - animated plot summary)  

The following images are from books and  productions of The Magic Flute - Can you tell what part of the story each one represents: 

                                   

The opera was written in German, and is usually sung in the German language; however, sometimes versions are sung in English.  

The Queen of the Night Aria  is the most well known from the whole of the Magic Flute.  Mozart wrote it specifically for his sister-in-law as he knew she could sing the difficult notes. It's  considered to be one of the hardest for any soprano to sing.  It's also known as Der Holle Nacht  (the German title) or the Revenge Aria.

Here's a compilation of several sopranos singing the same aria - so you can see it done several different ways in different settings. 
 
And here is actress Meryl Streep portray Florence Foster Jenkins  singing Queen of the Night - very badly.  Florence was a wealthy woman in America who enjoyed singing and performing - in spite of bot being very good at it.

This is what the words are in English.

The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart,
Death and despair flame about me!
If Sarastro does not through you feel
The pain of death,
Then you will be my daughter nevermore.
Disowned may you be forever,
Abandoned may you be forever,
Destroyed be forever
All the bonds of nature,
If not through you
Sarastro becomes pale!
Hear, Gods of Revenge,
Hear a mother's oath!

Junior Songs: 
Chumbara
Sarasponda 
Ten in a bed ( all from this blog post)  

And a new song for roll call.