Met Music Director Emeritus James Levine returns to the Met to conduct the full German version of Mozart’s magical fable. His partner is the “Tony” and “Emmy” Award winner and Academy Award nominee – director Julie Taymor, who brings into the production her artistry in the design of costumes and puppets. Newcomer from South Africa Golda Schultz makes her Met debut as Pamina in the company of an almost totally American cast and the bass from Germany René Pape, and the young Austrian Markus Werba who had played Papageno at the Salzburger Festspiele.

“Die Zauberflöte” was the last opera, which Mozart conducted only two months before his death in 1791. It is also the first title with which Met’s program Live in HD started in December 2016. It was presented in an abridged version, sung in English for families. 12 years later the Met presents Mozart’s opera for the first time Live in HD in its original and full form, sung in German.

“Die Zauberflöte” is presently among the top 10 most frequently performed operas worldwide. It is often connected with the fraternal order of the Freemasons due to Mozart and Schikaneder being its members, but also due to the place of action – Egypt, cradle of Masonry. During the opera’s premiere at the Wiednertheater, Schikaneder was not only manager, director and librettist of the production, but also played the part of Papageno.

А spectacular production from the director of the world-famous musical “The Lion King”.

Julie Taymor  

On the photo: Scene from Mozart’s “Die Zauberflöte”