Wolfgang Amadé Mozart's "The Magic Flute": Magical since 1791.
To this day, this masterpiece of opera history is one of the most performed pieces ever. Explore the cosmos of the Magic Flute and a "magical" little house.
Playbill for the Permiere of Mozarts opera "The Magic Flute" (1791) by International Mozarteum Foundation SalzburgThe Mozart-Museums of the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg
Mozart´s final premiere.
On September 30, 1791, a few months before his death, Mozart conducted the premiere of The Magic Flute at the "Theater auf der Wieden", Vienna. This opera was to become a sensational success that has lasted for centuries. The premiere, however, was preceded by dramatic scenes...
Emanuel Schikaneder, librettist of The Magic Flute and friend of Mozart, was in doubt of the success of the premiere night. According to a legend, Wolfgang Amadé Mozart, a few days before the premiere, had not completed essential parts of the opera. Schikaneder therefore decided to lock the composer up in a summerhouse behind the theater. Focused on his work, Mozart finally completed his opera in this summerhouse and in time. The myth of the Magic Flute-House was born.
The Magic Flute Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Set design for second scene, the Queen of the Night’s Hall of Stars (ca. 1815) by Karl Friedrich SchinkelKupferstichkabinett, Staatliche Museen zu Berlin
The battle of good and evil.
Behind the story of the opera lies material that tells of centuries-old conflicts. As a symbol of Masonic thought, The Magic Flute is a didactic piece that - full of symbolic power - tells of the importance of virtuous living.
Die Zauberflöte (1794) by Joseph SchafferAustrian National Library
Only with a pure heart you can stand.
The characters of The Magic Flute seem to have been drawn from life. The fact that Mozart wrote the music to a German-language libretto testifies to the fact that the audience should feel directly addressed. Everyone finds themselves in this story.
The story of the Magic Flute is thus steeped in legend. The roles, who does not know them: Papageno, who searches for his Papagena, the Queen of the Night, who fails with her vengeful intrigues and cannot prevent the love between her daughter Pamina and Prince Tamino. Above all stands Sarastro, who manages to prevail over the darkness and leads everyone onto the right path. And even today there is a place where you can get closer to the Magic Flute than in any opera house.
The way to Salzburg...
When the "Freihaus" was demolished for the magnificent buildings of the Ringstrasse, the International Mozarteum Foundation was able to acquire the Magic Flute-House. In 1877 it was erected at the Kapuzinerberg and soon became a place of pilgrimage for people from all over the world.
The interior of the Magic Flute-House during the installation period at the Kapuzinerberg in Salzburg by International Mozarteum FoundationThe Mozart-Museums of the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg
A truly magical place!
Visitors feel an emotional closeness to this place where Wolfgang Amadé Mozart is said to have completed his last opera only a few months before his death. In the 19th century, efforts were made to strengthen the aura of the little house with all kinds of ornaments.
During the war the magic faded.
With the Second World War, the Magic Flute House fell into oblivion and was almost left to decay. But with the re-establishment of the International Mozarteum Foundation, the little house was about to experience a renaissance.
View of the Magic Flute-House in the Bastion-Garden of the Mozarteum Foundation (2015) by Fritz von der SchulenburgThe Mozart-Museums of the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg
A hidden treasure.
In the 1950s, the Magic Flute-House was installed in the Bastion Garden of the Mozarteum Foundation. There it could be visited during concert breaks and on request. As part of the project "More Space for Mozart" it was decided to restore and relocate the building.
In close cooperation with the Federal Monuments Office and the experts of the "Salzburger Freilichtmuseum", the restoration of the Magic Flute-House was begun in 2022. During this process, architectural changes were scaled back and there was also a big surprise with regard to the color scheme: under the 20th century tar coating, numerous layers of paint were revealed, including that of the late Baroque, a malachite green.
Reconstruction of the Magic Flute-House in the courtyard of Mozart's residence in Salzburg (2022) by Linus KlumpnerThe Mozart-Museums of the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg
The return to Mozart.
Since October 2022, the Magic Flute House has been located in the courtyard of the Mozart Residence at Makartplatz 8 in Salzburg. There it not only finds return in a baroque surrounding. It is also reunited with a place where the world-famous composer lived and worked.
Concept: Linus Klumpner, Director Mozart-Museums
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