Much of the story revolves around Tamino, a prince of an unnamed kingdom. He found himself in some dark alley with a giant serpent. He got so scared, he screamed (or sang) before losing consciousness. Before the giant serpent could damage him, 3 witches in black dresses killed the serpent using their sorcery.
It was then revealed how the serpent was a test for the prince orchestrated by the Queen of the Night. She doesn’t have an actual name. People around her call her that. Even Papageno, the bird catcher that ended up accompanying Tamino, knew her just as that as if her identify is shrouded in mystery. So mysterious that the Queen appeared later to Tamino like a blue apparition.
The Queen then appealed for Tamino’s help in rescuing her daughter, Pamina, from the evil wizard, Sarastro. She highlighted in her aria how scared her daughter was in getting abducted and how evil a wizard Sarastro is. She was even wailing as if to emphasize how she herself missed her daughter so much. Tamino felt so bad for the Queen. He took everything she said hook, line, and sinker. He then decided to participate in the rescue operation.
It took awhile for Tamino to finally meet Pamina. He first met the Speaker, the man guarding one of the 3 doors to the Sarastro’s palace. He wasn’t in a defensive mode. In fact he calmly challenged Tamino’s claims that Sarastro is an evil wizard and a tyrant. Tamino was intent into entering the palace that he eventually agreed to undergo 3 tests.
The one who ended up meeting Pamina first was Papageno. It wasn’t that hard for him to stave away Monostatos and his minions from Pamina. Not because Papageno is strong and mighty. It’s because Monostatos wasn’t exactly that menacing. If you are from the audience seeing this, you’d be skeptical too. If it wasn’t Sarastro who abducted Pamina, why didn’t Sarastro return Pamina to her mother, the Queen of the Night?
Papageno’s role in The Magic Flute was really a comic relief to the otherwise (almost) serious Tamino. He hasn’t changed his mind about marrying Pamina. But his views of the Queen of the Night were obviously affected. The methods may have changed. But the goal is still the same. Papageno, on the other hand, just wanted a wife. He may have had a cute duet with Pamina. But Pamina already has her prince.
Tamino’s angle in The Magic Flute may have been one of the earliest instances of red-pilling in the performing arts. He was not told of the truth. And when he discovered the truth, instead of confronting the Queen of the Night, he simply accepted the tests given to him by Sarastro. Tamino may not have retaliated. But the Queen of the Night didn’t take it lightly. She sent a message to Tamino through the 3 witches how his death is imminent because of his decision to join Sarastro instead.
At some point, Pamina had a red-pilling situation of her own. Compared to Tamino though, she had an opportunity to question the Queen of the Night. If she can enter Sarastro’s temple all along, why send Tamino to get Pamina? The Queen had her reasons that I won’t spoil anymore. Pamina then realizes her mother’s true nature. Thus, the iconic murder plot scene at The Magic Flute. Pamina can’t do it, of course.
I still think it was Monostatos who kidnapped Pamina. Sarastro could only keep an eye on Monostatos so he can’t brutalize Pamina. But he didn’t return Pamina to the Queen either. He had a somewhat flawed view on people around him. But him basing his decisions on rationality or a keen sense of the behavior of people helped him decide on keeping Tamino away from the Queen’s influence.
Perhaps the choice of soprano for this version of The Magic Flute served as pending twist in the story. To be honest, Desiree Rancatore looked too young to play the Queen of the Night. She looked younger than Dorothy Roschmann who played Pamina. Then again, that’s the catch. She looked young and innocent. She couldn’t be possibly pulling Tamino’s leg. Then again, once the scene to the second aria comes, Rancatore still looked and sounded sweet.
If Dorothy Roschmann looked familiar to you, it’s because she’s also the soprano that played Pamina in the Royal Opera House edition of The Magic Flute (the one that featured the iconic performance of Diana Damrau). I’m not good at telling lyric sopranos apart from dramatic sopranos. But she sounded so good that I felt sympathetic at her saddest moments. And I felt happy at chirpy moments like her duet with Detlef Roth’s Papageno. Of course, I felt happiest at her performance where she oriented Tamino about titular instrument.
The Magic Flute is said to be the opera that first gave the opera world its next tenor superstar - Piotr Beczala. Even if the eyeliner occasionally distracted me, it never diminished his acting and singing talent. With The Magic Flute being singspiele (sing and talk), you can’t help but notice traces of acting talent whether the performers sang or talked. He had both. But with a voice like his, it’s not surprising to see him in more productions that highlighted his singing and acting abilities.
Various versions of this production of The Magic Flute are found online. You may end up on that version that featured Natalie Dessay on the role of the Queen of the Night instead of Rancatore. I won’t spoil that for you. For tips in appreciation of this article, you may simply click the “Donate” button below for your convenience. Thanks for reading.
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