Die Zauberflöte

"A person like you," Papageno replies to Tamino's question, "who am I?" Tamino then answers that he "comes from noble blood." This immediately makes it clear that the Birdcatcher, Papageno, is already what Tamino must become: a human being. Thus, the goal is humanity. And this noble goal is achieved in such a humorous, human, and playful way. The libretto describes this with many trials, with the hell of vengeance and the sweetest love, with dancing animals and wondrous children, until Tamino and Papageno finally reach their goal happily. The Magic Flute, which was first performed in Vienna in 1791 as the last opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, stands in tradition with the old Viennese magic theater.