On the Magic Flute

Last updated on: June 7, 2012 at 2:17 am by John Mark N. Reynolds

On the Magic Flute 2012-06-07T02:17:10-04:00 John Mark N. Reynolds

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Magic Flute is mad beauty, but so beautiful that beauty is almost enough. The story is a mash up of Free Masonry, Enlightenment religion, and every bad holdover of Medieval Catholicism with no virtues. If it makes sense, it is simply by pure eroticism leading to love.

There is a magic flute, but the hero keeps forgetting he has it. As a weapon, it is like the Hapsburg army: shiny, beautiful, and rarely useful.

The Prince pursues his love. The comic relief pursues his mate. The lovers are purified by a priesthood that distrusts women. Many of the lines denigrate women, but the music undercuts the hate by leaving the women with all the power.

As an opera ignoramus I cannot be sure what I am supposed to think of the Queen of the Night, she is “evil,” but seemingly for love of her daughter against the insufferably pompous priests. Actual popes pontificate rarely, but these Masonic priests cannot open their mouth without speaking in Masonic bromides.

They pose meaningless tests and the lovers are at least Enlightened and so united, but my impression musically was that the women were patiently waiting for the men to get around to what they already understood.

That sounds bad, but the music makes it work. It is comic, piercing, ironic, and overwhelmingly beautiful. For men, though I am amateur, it seemed to force me to musically become a man. Bits were catchy enough, or bawdy enough, to attract the boy, but the women demanded more of their lovers.

They wanted men, not princes who faint at snakes.

Pomina, the beloved of the prince, appeared last night a sparkling woman in white. There is no doubt from her first number that if it can be done, she will make the Prince a man. Her love is a flood of glorious Mozart. Her mother has the hard stuff, dazzling with sound where the human voice is transformed into an instrument, but her daughter simply loves.

She loves patiently, but passionately. To see such a woman and to be loved by her is good . . . and necessary for all but a few men. After all, when the world was new and sin did not exist, when man walked with God in purity, Adam was alone and it was not good without his Eve.

Eve meant he could never be alone again. She was the Image of God to Adam and so could mediate God to Adam physically. When Adam saw Eve he knew she was his completion as he was her fulfillment. What other relationships may exist, nothing is like this marriage between two like beings so unlike. Both are human, but one is a male and the other a female. They can never be the same or totally different

The single, after the Incarnation, can find fulfillment in Christ, but marriage remains what is best for most people at most times. Singleness given to God is in fact a better path to holiness, but society cannot afford for most of us to walk it.

We cannot all be acolytes of God.

And so Magic Flute wrapped me in eros, but without sin. It elevated the base and made even dated Enlightenment philosophy attractive . . . almost. It is at the end when the amusing bird-catcher finds his wife that truth grounds the opera.

Children and the hope of children is the culmination of their desire. Unlike the clinging Queen of the Night whose children are mere extensions of her emotions, these are children are joyous and free.

Love taught me a final lesson in the Opera. A parent might demand fealty, but at that moment love has failed. A lover might manipulate using the power of love, but tyranny corrupts the love.

Love is always joyous, it tis never clinging, and it always sets the beloved free.

Magic Flute would be a bad basis for an entire worldview, but as one evening in Catholic Vienna it must have been liberating and its shortcomings almost harmless. The priests preach reason and all sing of love. . . and this is all good.

Art

Culture

Previous Post

June 5, 2012

And so it goes. . .

Next Post

June 8, 2012 What I Learned From Prague

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Apologetics Art Culture Education On Books On Education Philosophy Politics Pop Culture Spiritual Reflections Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 July 2025 June 2025 September 2024 July 2024 June 2024 December 2023 June 2023 September 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

True or False: Moses entered the Promised Land before he died.

Select your answer to see how you score.

TRUE FALSE

Books by This Author John Mark Reynolds

See All Titles »