Revival Stage Director – David Kneuss Setting Puppet Designers – Julie Taymor/Michael Curry The remarkable Emanuel Schikaneder (1751–1812) was an actor, singer, theater manager, and friend of Mozart who wrote the opera’s libretto, staged the work, and sang the role of Papageno in the initial run. He died three months after the premiere of Die Zauberflöte, his last produced work for the stage. His achievements in opera, in terms of beauty, vocal challenge, and dramatic insight, remain unsurpassed. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791) was the son of a Salzburg court musician who exhibited him as a musical prodigy throughout Europe. The story is told in a Singspiel (“song-play”) format characterized by separate musical numbers connected by dialogue and stage activity, an excellent structure for navigating the diverse moods, ranging from solemn to lighthearted, of the story and score. Premiere: Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna, 1791. A sublime fairy tale that moves freely between earthy comedy and noble mysticism, The Magic Flute ( Die Zauberflöte in the original German) was written for a theater located just outside Vienna with the clear intention of appealing to audiences from all walks of life. Nathan Gunn reprises his much-loved portrayal of the bird-catcher Papageno. Evan Rogister conducts Julie Taymor’s spellbinding production, with special holiday pricing and a 100-minute running time.
The Met’s English-language family version of Mozart’s enchanting masterpiece has become one of the city’s essential holiday traditions.