The Magical Flute is a singspiel in 2 acts by the Austrian composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who is also renowned for his other operas like Don Giovanni, Cos fan tutte, and The Wedding of Figaro alongside symphonies and other works. The Sorcery Flute was composed in 1791, with a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, a composer, actor, and theater director who had commissioned this setting of his very own text. The premiere of The Wizardry Flute occurred on thirty Sep 1791 at the Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. The opera was heavily favored, with over a hundred performances given in the 1st year. Schikaneder, the librettist, played the task of Papageno in the 1st performance, which Mozart conducted from the pianoforte. The Queen of the Night was played by Mozart’s sister-in-law. [Read more...]