Die Zauberflöte 'The Magic Flute'

Composed by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder (1791)

Music arranged and directed from the keyboard by
Donald Nicolson
Stage Direction by Jane Davidson

Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte ‘The Magic Flute’ is replete with symbolism and ritual. It deals with themes of good vs evil, enlightenment vs ignorance and champions truth above all. Sometimes, it takes a while to uncover the truth, and many characters are not as they first appear.

The princess Pamina has been abducted and her mother The Queen of the Night (famous for her coloratura aria) enlists Tamino to help her to reclaim her daughter. To aid him on his perilous journey, he is given a magic flute and a companion named Papageno. Papageno is a very likeable bird-catcher who wants someone to love. Tamino, Papageno, and Pamina go through several trials to see if they are worthy to attain wisdom and knowledge. In a culmination of all the story lines, Pamina and Tamino vanquish darkness in their final trial through fire and water, Papageno meets his true love (Papagena), and a balance between light and darkness is restored in the land.

This amazing tale is being brought to life using multimedia in an exciting new arrangement by composer and keyboard player Donald Nicolson. This will be a show not to be missed.

The production is a collaboration between Master of Music (Opera Performance), Bachelor of Music (Voice), Master of Production (Stage), and Melbourne Conservatorium of Music orchestra students, and draws on experienced alumna, Shania Eliassen in the role of Queen of the Night.

This performance runs for 140 minutes including a 20 minute interval. Act 1 is 55 minutes, and Act Two is 65 minutes.

Content  Note: This performance includes haze and smoke effects, strobe lighting, mild sexual content and a depiction of attempted suicide.

Complete credits

Program Note by the Directors