The Opera That I Both Love And Hate

Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte---more commonly known by it's English title The Magic Flute---is both one of my favorites and one of my least favorites at the same time. The opera is best described as an enchanting mess as it has amazing music but the story and most of the characters are nonsensical.

First, the cons:
I know I'll get some flak for this, but Sarastro is the lowest part of the opera. He is uninteresting and his arias are not memorable in my opinion. They're supposed to noble-sounding and gentle, but they are not Mozart's best work in my opinion. And Sarastro himself is twenty flavors of boring. He has no real character beyond that of platitude-spewing generic benevolent guy who doesn't really do anything. He has no trouble kicking out the Queen and her cohorts at the end. And he doesn't really have a motive for stealing Pamina other than her mother is evil, which unfortunately makes him come off as a total jerk. 
      Now, I remember there being a graphic novel adaptation of the opera. While it amounted to little more than just another generic fantasy story, it did try to make Sarastro a more believable character. Sarastro says at one point that the Queen was in fact his own wife whom he neglected and hence why she turned evil. So you could make the argument that in the opera he is motivated by regret. But Mozart doesn't provide enough info. 

As for Tamino and Pamina, they are pretty generic. Their music is decent, I guess. "Dies Bildnis ist bezaubernd schön" is a pretty song about falling in love a portrait, and as whiny as "Ach, ich fühl's" sounds in the text, it is pretty in its own way. But Tamino switches sides without any questions and has no trouble getting through the ordeals. While many sopranos have argued that Pamina is a strong character for taking action and "rescuing herself" (they have to if they're trying to play the role), she doesn't have a personality. And when the two are married at the end, it feels like filler, without any of the heartwarming elements present in Papageno and Papagena's duet. 

The story itself is full of Masonic ritual and symbolism which I think brings the story down considerably. The whole business of "We can't tell you until you've been initiated properly," is very counter-intuitive; how are you supposed to find the truth when you have no idea what it's supposed to be? Now if there was far less cryptic mysticism and much clearer reasons for why the characters need to do the things they need to do, it would work a lot better.

Now to the pros:
The best music in The Magic Flute---heck the best moments of the opera itself---belong to Papageno and the Queen of the Night. Papageno is a bird-catcher with two magnificent arias and even the most beautiful love duet in opera. He owns every scene he's in, whether it's when he brags about killing the serpent or when he's about to hang himself in despair. His two arias "Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja" ,and "Ein Mädchen oder Weibchen" are some of the most memorable pieces that Mozart has ever written. He is meant to be the comic relief and a foil for Tamino, but considering that Papageno has the harder challenge, I think he is the real protagonist. He is much more real than all the other characters. And when he finally gets his Papagena in the end, I feel like I'm truly happy for them. They sing about how happy they are to be together at last and the children they want---not to mention all the chicken-like chanting of "Pa-Pa-Papageno!"---is what really sells it for me.
         Also Tamino and Pamina's best moments are with Papageno; Pamina when Papageno comes to tell her of Tamino and help her escape, and Tamino when they first meet and when they are undergoing the Ordeal of Silence. The way Papageno plays off the other characters is amazing.

The Queen of the Night does not get much screen time (twelve minutes in total), but she has two unforgettable arias, these being "O Zittre Nicht" and "Der Hölle Rache". Allthough she send Prince Tamino off to rescue her daughter, she is supposed to be the villain. But she is not on stage long enough for there to be much info about her character. She hates Sarastro for getting her husband's money and taking her daughter (whom she abandons out of spite when Pamina will not kill Sarastro), other than that there isn't much to her. However, her music is so awesome I don't really care about her flat character. Forget her motivation, enjoy the vocal fireworks!

So yes, I love Die Zauberflöte and I hate it at the same time. While I can't stand Sarastro and the young lovers are one-dimensional, the music is good and Papageno and the Queen of the Night make it worth going to see. Just ignore the confusing symbolism and listen to the Bird-Catcher and his bride making out.