E. Schikaneder. Die Zauberfloete. (Ed. W Zentner 1962)

     E. Schikaneder. Die Zauberfloete. (Ed. W Zentner 1962) The complete libretto in German, with a couple of scenes from Goethe’s projected Part 2. The story of this opera is sillier than usual, partly because it appears to have been radically restructured in the writing, so that the plot points adumbrated in the first few scenes are contradicted or simply dropped later on. This I did not know before reading the introduction. The story is relatively simple: Tamino finds himself in a strange place dominated by the Queen of Night, whose daughter Pamina is held by Sostrato. He has to undergo a series of trials, which appear to consist mostly of not talking, in order to become an initiate. Later, Pamina also becomes an initiate, they marry and live happily ever after. Along the way, Tamino picks up Papageno, a commedia-style clown, who provides comic relief (and the only realistic character).
      The script is presented in typical continental format, with scenes changing with the entrances and exits of characters, not with changes in location. I found this format peculiar and irritating even before I encountered the English one, because some “scenes” are only one or two speeches long. I suppose it has its roots in rehearsal styles and schedules or some such; or else it’s another one of those unreasonable rationalities the French are so fond of and have foisted on their imitators.
     The verse is for the most part numbingly banal and sometimes silly, with sadly rare signs of wit. The higher philosophy expressed by Sostrato and his priests consists of New Age guff.
      If it weren’t for Mozart’s music, this opera would long ago have been forgotten. Salieri-like, I wonder how such silly stuff could have been joined to such sublime music. As it is, probably far more people have heard the music than have heard the opera. I heard it when I was around 11 in Graz, and all I remember was Papageno, who was costumed like a giant green parrot, very impressive. He also had the funny songs, but it’s the music I recall, not the words. Opera lovers claim that the music is what matters in opera, but my taste is for good strong stories that depend on and are enhanced and nuanced by the music. A Wagnerian idea, I know, and I do not like Wagner at all! Auden claims that the sound of the verse must be adapted to the music, hence what we look for in poetry we should not expect to find in a libretto. I can accept that, but the verse should tell a clearly plotted story, and preferably one with some sense. * (2004)