Mozart's final year, one magical flute, and the most savage mother-in-law in opera history.
The Queen of the Night enlists a handsome prince named Tamino to rescue her beautiful kidnapped daughter, Princess Pamina. Aided by the lovelorn bird hunter Papageno and a magical flute that holds the power to change the hearts of men, young Tamino embarks on a quest for true love, leading to the evil Sarastro's temple where Pamina is held captive. The internationally renowned Mozart interpreter Sir Colin Davis conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House and a glittering cast in David McVicar's 2003 production of the opera Mozart wrote in the final year of his life, recorded live at Covent Garden.
Acting
Diana Damrau's Queen of the Night—two arias that shatter crystal.
Direction
McVicar's staging balances whimsy with Masonic ritual gravitas.
Production
Royal Opera House grandeur compressed into your living room.
Director
Sue Judd
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Mozart wrote this for a suburban Viennese theatre, not royalty—he was basically doing accessible pop opera in 1791.
The Masonic symbolism runs deep: Sarastro's temple rituals mirror actual Freemasonry, which Mozart and his librettist Schikaneder both practiced.
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