Antonello Manacorda

An esoteric fairy-tale, a mystical-dreamlike tale, and a symbolic-Masonic course: No matter which perspective you consider it from, The Magic Flute will always be one of Mozart’s undisputed masterpieces. Amidst exotic, fanciful settings and cruel trials to conquer knowledge, amidst musical enchantment and threatening hostile forces, is the final victory of good over evil and love over hate. Singspiel in two acts to a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, the Zauberflöte is one of the Salzburg genius’ last masterpieces, which he probably began composing in May 1791, not even six months before his death. The opera had its debut in Vienna on 30 September 1791, conducted by the composer himself and with Schikaneder as Papageno.

Alfredo Germont and the courtesan Violetta Valéry fall in love at a party in Violetta's Paris salon. Alfredo is determined to cure Violetta of her tuberculosis, and the couple leave Paris and begin a contented life in the country. But Violetta's happiness is destroyed when Alfredo's father Giorgio Germont pays her a visit. Richard Eyre's stunning naturalistic production contrasts the superficial glamour of 19th-century Parisian high life with intimate scenes for Violetta with Alfredo and Giorgio Germont, culminating in the heart-breaking final act.