The Magic Flute - Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
About
The Magic Flute (German: Die Zauberflöte, pronounced [diː ˈtsaʊbɐˌfløːtə]), K. 620, is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart to a German libretto(Text works) by Emanuel Schikaneder.
It was premiered(first performance) in 1791, September, just 3 months before Mozard died.
The work is in the form of a Singspiel, a popular form during the time it was written that included both singing and spoken dialogue.
The story itself might be childish, but it is full of subversive symbolism and has so many good arias and is regarded as one of the most influencial operas in history.
The most famous aria is "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (Hell's vengeance boils in my heart) which is commonly referred to as just "The Queen of the Night's aria". It is one of the most difficult aria to sing, and is widely known to people.
Youtube video from TED will be useful.
Synopsis
A boy name Prince Tamino runs through a dark wood pursued by a dragon.
Then, 3 mysterious women appear and slay the dragon. The three women summon their leader, the Queen of the Night.
The Queen of the Night, in turn, sends Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter Pamina from the evil sorcerer, Sarastro. And to help him on his journey, she gives him the titular magic flute.
Tamino eventually finds Pamina at Sarastro's temple, but behind enemy lines, Tamino and Pamina learn that they are on the wrong side.
The Queen of the Night actually wants to plunge the world into darkness. Everything Tamino knew was wrong, filling him with doubt and confusion.
So, a new quest begins for Tamino and Pamina.
The must pass three trials of wisdom, and only then can the day vanquish the night.
Helped by the flute's magic power, the youths overcome these trials and the Queen's attempts to sabotage them.
They're finally initiated into the temple having restored balance to the kingdom.
Actually, there are more characters not introduced in the above plot.
Especially, Papageno, the bird-catcher is sometimes regarded as true star of the show.
Details can be found in Wikipedia or by googling.
Aria
Overture
Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja / The birdcathcer I am - Papageno, Act1, #2
Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön / This image is enchantingly beautiful - Tamino, Act 1, #3
O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn / Oh, tremble not, my beloved son – The Queen of the Night, Act1, #4
Hm! Hm! Hm! Hm! - Quintet, Act1, #5
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen / Hell's vengeance boils in my heart - The Queen of the Night, Act2, #5
Pa, pa, pa – Papageno and Papagena, Act2, scene 10
How to enjoy
The most imporatnt thing is Know the story, Know the music.
Opera is a combination of story and music, but most of the operas are written in Italian or German, so it is impossible to understand the whole story from the beginning.
Also, number 3 appears so many time in the Magic Flute.
It is because Mozart was part of Premaison, and they believed 3 is the most stable number.
This might be seemed as conspiracy theory, but it is regarded true by many experts.