An evening with Die Zauberflöte

After hearing so much about the Wiener Staatsoper and walking past it on my way to my german classes at IKI, I was intrigued to get the chance to take a look inside and experience the music and art. Mozart's "Die Zauberfloete" proved to be a compelling choice, as I have always loved his compositions.

The opera house certainly stands among Vienna's most ornate and beautiful buildings. The marble staircases, statues, and fountains outside certainly display the regal attitude that Vienna embodies. From out nose-bleeder balcony seats, we had a great view of about half of the stage and the orchestra pit.


The first act was very engaging and pleasant. I really enjoyed how happy and jovial the music was, and  in particular when the Tamino and Papageno would play their flutes. The music had a great melody, and I really enjoyed the comical dialogue between Tamino and Papageno. Although not all of the jokes translated well to english, there was a screen that translated the lyrics to english which made following the plot very easy.

I think that the second act dragged a little bit, with themes of silence and unrequited love. I felt bad for the man in the orchestra who played (I think) the Celesta, as he only played 2-3 times in the entire opera when Papageno would ring his bells. I often found myself thinking that the dialogue was written with the same over the top drama that is seen in action movies today. Pamina and Papageno in particular would go from overtly amorphous to suicidal at the flip of a coin. I really liked the resolution at the end with the triumph of light over darkness and Papageno finally finding his wife.

Overall I had a great time and I would recommend it to anyone visiting Vienna with a free evening.