Die Zauberflöte

Die Zauberflöte is an opera in two acts by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder.

Also known by its English title, The Magic Flute.

The original text

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. A whimsical fairy tale with themes deeply rooted in the Enlightenment and principles of Free Masonry, Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte appeals to audiences of all ages.

Translations and adaptations

Performance history in South Africa

1957: Presented at Worcester's first music festival

1988: Presented by CAPAB Opera (14 May – 11 June)

1991: Presented by CAPAB Opera (30 September – 18 October)

1994: Presented at Oude Libertas (19 March)

1995: Presented by CAPAB Opera (12–30 August)

2000: Presented by Cape Town Opera (21–27 November)

2002: Presented by Cape Town Opera (5–15 January)

2004: Presented by Cape Town Opera (7–14 August)

2007: Presented by Cape Town Opera (8–18 September)

Sources

'Die Zauberflöte'. The Metropolitan Opera. https://www.metopera.org/season/on-demand/opera/?upc=810004201224

Wayne Muller. 2018. A reception history of opera in Cape Town: Tracing the development of a distinctly South African operatic aesthetic (1985–2015). Unpublished PhD thesis.