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**He is, generally, greatly overrated, IMO**

Posted by C.B. on April 23, 2007 at 10:58:22

In Reply to: Re: My First Opera posted by Karma16 on April 22, 2007 at 16:23:32:

You are. of course, intitled to your opinions, and are allowed to express them freely, at least in this country (the U.S.).

When your opinions differ so markedly from from history's judgement, however, you might do well to be more circumspect and first discover WHY your opinions are so divergent.

Mozart had an uncommon understanding of people and human nature--this is why his operas are so compelling. Compared with the usual fodder of the day, his characters live and breath--their emotions, strengths, weakness are illuminated and amplified by the music. There is a universal appeal to Mozart's character development and exposition as facilitated by the music that is reminiscent of great playwrights such as Shakespeare.

Your assessment that "he was just coming into an understanding of life" is way off the mark--as a child, Mozart was uncommonly mature and by his 'teens possessed an understanding that few adults have. He continued to develop this all through his career. Also, your statement that "many others, without the same talent, accomplished far more of real value" is highly questionable. Other than Haydn, I challenge you to name a single contemporary of Mozart who is his equal, either in scope or depth.

As for The Magic Flute, there is indeed music "of depth"--you just have to recognize it when it appears. Given your prejudice against Mozart, it's not surprising that you missed it. I'm thinking here of the orchestral writing, with its imitative counterpoint and unusually full scoring (full winds, including three trombones), all of which impressed amd influenced Beethoven and later Weber. In fact, German Romantic opera in many ways had its start with The Magic Flute, and would be unthinkable without it.

Then there are scenes such as Act II Scene 28 (Tamino, Two Armed Men and later Pamina) which is based on a Bach chorale tune, with added counterpoint--very unusual and ahead of its time. Or the aria "In diesen heil'gen Hallen". which Bernard Shaw (an atheist!) thought could have been sung the Lord God himself. Or the second aria of the Queen of the Night, which is as "Sturm und Drang" as it gets. Or Pamina's aria, "Ach, ich fühl’s", which is as deep an expressiion of grief and sorrow as Mozart (or anyone, for that matter) ever wrote.

The point of the Magic Flute is that its music is tremendously varied, from simple folk-song to elaborate ensemble numbers to solemn Masonic hymns for male choir to coloratura arias to rousing finales with chorus and orchestra. As Brian said, I doubt that ANY student production could make sense of this music or do justice to it--they simply wouldn't be able to field the necessary voices.

The Magic Flute is not Mozart's greatest opera--that honor goes to Don Giovanni. But it is his greatest German opera, and to understand Mozart completely, one must know the work.

On second thought, keep your opinions to yourself--you're simply demonstrating your closed-mindedness.

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Kimber Kable

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