The Magic Flute in Salzburg

"Without music everything would be nothing" 
(Wolfgang Amadé Mozart)
 

Statistically, The Magic Flute by W. A. Mozart is by far the most performed opera in the German-speaking world. Internationally, it ranks among the top 5. We take a look at where this world-famous work by Mozart can be experienced in his home country.

The Magic Flute at the Salzburg Marionette Theatre

In addition to regular performances of the opera as part of the Salzburg Festival, The Magic Flute is also a permanent fixture in the repertoire of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre. In a new production by Thomas Reichert from 2017, Tamino and Pamina, the Queen of the Night, Papageno and all the other characters come to life in a stage design by Günther Schneider-Siemssen. The costumes are by Friedl Aicher, daughter-in-law of the founder of the Salzburg Marionette Theatre, Anton Aicher. 

• more about the Salzburg Marionette Theatre

Excerpts from the opera at the Mozart Dinner Concert

The Stiftskulinarium in the St. Peter precinct is not only a gourmet restaurant in the heart of the Old Town, it is also the perfect venue for the Mozart Dinner Concert, as the Mozart family regularly dined there. Every evening, the baroque hall is transformed into a ballroom from the year 1790: candlelight, a menu based on historical recipes, artists dressed in the clothes of Mozart's time and compositions by the musical genius. The musicians of the AMADEUS CONSORT, founded in 1996, perform arias and duets from Don Giovanni, The Magic Flute and The Marriage of Figaro. The concert takes place in three parts, each between the courses of the dinner.

• more about the Mozart Dinner Concert

The Magic Flute House in Salzburg

In the courtyard of Mozart's residence on Makartplatz stands a truly special feature: the Magic Flute House. The story of this small wooden hut goes back to 1791, when Mozart is said to have composed his famous work in it. At that time it stood in the garden of the Freihaustheater in Vienna, where the opera was first performed in September of 1791. In 1873 it was moved to Salzburg on the initiative of the Mozarteum Foundation. After an extensive renovation process in the summer of 2022, the small wooden house was set up in the courtyard of the Mozart residence and integrated into the museum as a permanent exhibit. In the course of the renovation, the house was painted in the same green as it had been in Mozart's time. 

• more about the Mozart Residence

Filming locations of The Magic Flute (2022)

The film The Magic Flute was shot in Mozart's native town, among other places. The soundtrack was also recorded here – by the Salzburg Mozarteum Orchestra. The Grosser Saal of the Mozarteum Foundation, which seats 800 and is considered one of the most beautiful and most superior concert halls in the world, is also a filming location, as is the Old Town. Nonnbergstiege, Festungsgasse and Kapitelplatz also appear in the film, whereas Leopoldskron Palace plays a central role. Among other things, the portal through which young Tim Walker (Jack Wolfe) enters the fantasy world of The Magic Flute was staged in the library of the Palace, which dates back to Max Reinhardt's era. Hohenwerfen Castle in Salzburg's Pongau region becomes a Mozart boarding school in the film – thus the stunning images of the beautiful countryside surrounding Salzburg travel around the world. 

• Trailer

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The Mozarteum Foundation, as the guardian of Mozart's legacy, owns the original play bill from the 1791 premiere of the opera in Vienna. This is frequently on public display as part of special exhibitions. 
The former Kleines Festspielhaus, which was redesigned in the Mozart Year 2006, was given a very special decoration for its façade when it opened as the Haus für Mozart: Salzburg artist Josef Zenzmaier created three reliefs at a height of four metres. From left to right, they pay homage to The Magic Flute, The Marriage of Figaro and Don Giovanni. Each of the artworks creates an overall image of the respective opera through the arrangement of people and objects. 

• more about the House for Mozart