Composition
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Library of Congress

Overture to The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Library of Congress

In 1791, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart joined with his friend and fellow Freemason Emanuel Schikaneder to create a singspiel, a popular form of theater that blended singing and spoken dialogue, akin to today’s Broadway musicals. This new comic opera, The Magic Flute, took shape during the spring and summer of 1791 and debuted on September 30, just months before Mozart’s untimely death.

Mozart had completed most of The Magic Flute by July, and then he paused it to dash off another opera, La clemenza di Tito, which would be his last. He finished the overture to The Magic Flute just in time, marking its date of completion as September 28, two days before the premiere.

The overture’s slow and solemn introduction draws out the sense of anticipation, until resolution comes in the surprising form of a breathless fugue that serves to whip the first main theme into a glorious frenzy. Ceremonial chords, mysterious detours and even a passing flute solo all hint at the supernatural mischief and power struggles of the forthcoming opera.

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May 11–12, 2024
Mozart Overture to the Magic Flute
Watch Performance
6:30
Director: Rebecca Beam
Associate Director: JoAnn Babic
Editor: Janet Shapiro
Cameras: Kierra Lopac and Erica Beebe
Video Technical Director: Visal Anandakumar
Audio Technical Director: Cameron Wiley, YourClassical MPR
Video Score Reader: James Chang
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