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

Translated into Afrikaans in 1948 by Gideon Roos.

Performance history in South Africa

1948: First performance in Afrikaans.

1957: Presented at Worcester's first music festival organised by Cromwell Everson.

1960: Presented in Afrikaans by the UCT Opera Company at the Union Festival in Bloemfontein.

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 Unpublished PhD thesis.

"Everson, Cromwell". University of Pretoria. https://www.up.ac.za/sacomposers/article/2755748/everson-cromwell-