"The Magic Flute" and Irreverent Modern Humor

 

I can't help but notice a trend in recent productions of The Magic Flute. Or at least in American productions marketed chiefly for families and newcomers to opera. That trend is to infuse the dialogue with a distinctly irreverent sense of humor. Modern references, pop culture references, cracks in the fourth wall, and generally cheeky jokes that are nowhere to be found in the original libretto. Even in otherwise "traditional" productions, these touches can be found. Usually they involve Papageno, but sometimes other characters too.

Here are some examples from productions I've either seen onstage myself or read about:

Video Recording Review: Die Zauberflöte," Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, 2003 (conducted by Colin Davis)

 

Die Zauberflöte

2003, Royal Opera House, Covent Garden

(Will Hartmann, Dorothea Röschmann, Simon Keenlyside, Diana Damrau, Franz-Joseph Selig, Adrian Thompson**; Chorus of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden; Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, cond. Colin Davis)

(dir. David McVicar; video dir. Sue Judd)

Sound Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," Deutsche Grammophon, 1955 (conducted by Ferenc Fricsay)

Die Zauberflöte

1955, Deutsche Grammophon

(Ernst Häfliger, Maria Stader, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Rita Streich, Josef Greindl, Martin Vantin; RIAS Kammerchor; RIAS Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, cond. Ferenc Fricsay)

"The Magic Flute" Personality Types (MBTI)

Ever since I discovered Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, it’s been an invaluable tool for understanding

myself and for understanding others around me. It’s also been a fantastic tool for analyzing fictional

characters. While I understand that no scholarly character analysis would use this personality-typing

system, especially for a work of fiction created centuries earlier, examining a character’s MBTI type 

can provide insights into that character you might never have otherwise considered.

Below are my personal MBTI typings for the six lead characters in Mozart’s The Magic Flute, along with analyses of why I think each character embodies their specific personality type.

Tamino: ENFJ (Extraversion, Intuition, Feeling, Judging)

Video Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," Salzburg Festival, 1982 (conducted by James Levine)

Die Zauberflöte

1982, Salzburg Festival

(Peter Schreier, Ileana Cotrubas, Christian Boesch, Edita Gruberova, Martti Talvela, Horst Heistermann*; Wiener Staatsopernchor; Wiener Philharmoniker, cond. James Levine)

(dir. Jean-Pierre Ponnelle; video dir. Brian Large)

(Reviewer's note: I in no way support or condone the personal-life actions of James Levine. This is an objective review of an artistic performance.)

Sound Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," Philips, 1984 (conducted by Colin Davis)

 

Die Zauberflöte

1984, Philips

(Peter Schreier, Margaret Price, Mikael Melbye, Luciana Serra, Kurt Moll, Robert Tear; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Colin Davis)

Video Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," Drottningholm Court Theatre, 1989 (conducted by Arnold Östman)

Die Zauberflöte

1989, Drottningholm Court Theatre

(Stefan Dahlberg, Ann Christine Biel, Mikael Samuelson, Birgit Louise Frandsen, László Polgár, Magnus Khyle*; Drottningholm Court Theatre Chorus; Drottningholm Court Theatre Orchestra, cond. Arnold Östman)

(dir. Göran Järvefelt; video dir. Thomas Olofsson)

Analyzing "The Magic Flute": M. Owen Lee, "The Operagoer's Guide"

 

This is the first of what I hope will be many posts discussing the analyses of The Magic Flute found in books about opera. In these posts, I plan to outline each analysis itself, and then share my response to it and whether I like and agree with it or not.

The Operagoer's Guide, by the late Catholic priest and music scholar M. Owen Lee, was one of the first books on opera I ever owned and is an excellent resource for newcomers to the genre. It offers synopses of 100 operas from the standard repertoire, as well as a few paragraphs or pages of commentary on each. The portion on Die Zauberflöte is the last in the book and one of the longest and most deeply intellectual. Right away, Lee dismisses the idea that Flute consists of wonderful music paired with a ridiculous libretto, then gives a brief overview of the Masonic and political allegories the plot can be seen to contain, before plunging into a deeper exploration that goes beyond any specific time, place, religion or politics.

David Hockney's "Magic Flute" costume sketches

 

From upper left to lower left: Tamino, Pamina, Papageno, the Queen of the Night, Sarstro, the Three Boys, Monostatos.

Sound Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," RCA Victor, 1970 (conducted by Otmar Suitner)

Die Zauberflöte

1970, RCA Victor

(Peter Schreier, Helen Donath, Gunther Leib, Sylvia Geszty, Theo Adam, Harald Neukirch; Rundfunkchor Leipzig; Staatskapelle Dresden, cond. Otmar Suitner)

Sound Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte, Decca, 1991 (conducted by Sir Georg Solti)

 

Die Zauberflöte

1991, Decca

(Uwe Heilmann, Ruth Ziesak, Michael Kraus, Sumi Jo, Kurt Moll, Heinz Zednik; Wiener Staatsopernchor; Wiener Philharmoniker, cond. Georg Solti)

Video Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," Glyndebourne Festival Opera, 1978 (conducted by Bernard Haitink)

Die Zauberflöte

1978, Glyndebourne Festival Opera

 (Leo Goeke, Felicity Lott, Benjamin Luxon, May Sandoz, Thomas Thomaschke, John Fryatt*; Glyndebourne Festival Chorus; London Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Bernard Haitink)

(dir. John Cox; video dir. Dave Heather)

Sound Recording Review: "Die Zauberflöte," EMI, 1964 (conducted by Otto Klemperer)

Die Zauberflöte

1964, EMI

(Nicolai Gedda, Gundula Janowitz, Walter Berry, Lucia Popp, Gottlob Frick, Gerhard Unger; Philharmonia Chorus; Philharmonia Orchestra, cond. Otto Klemperer)