#1: The Magic Flute by Mozart

"If I were a dictator, I should make it compulsory for every member of the population between the ages of four and eighty to listen to Mozart for at least one-quarter of an hour daily for the coming five years."
-Sir Thomas Beecham, Daily Telegraph (London), 4 Sept 1937

Details: W.A. Mozart (1756-1791), "Die Zauberflote" (The Magic Flute), composed in 1791. Opera in two acts, in German. Recorded in Berlin, Germany in 1937, by Beecham and Berlin Philharmonic. Total time (2 discs): 131:40. Produced by Nimbus Records (U.K.) in 1991, with note that the two CDs are "digital transfers from 78 rpm discs."

This may be the oldest recording I own, in terms of when it was originally made. I'll find out at the end of the project if that is really the case but I think it is. It's also one of the longest at more than 2 hours.

What first struck me sonically was that this 1937 recording (that's 78 years ago this year) sounds a bit like the stereotypical sound from an old Victrola. And in some places I heard what sounded like a needle on a record. 78 years and 78 rpms...nice bookends. Also of immediate interest is the conductor, Sir Thomas Beecham, an Englishman, venturing into Nazi Germany to lead this performance by the Berlin Philarmonic. Although none of the names of the cast sound familiar to me, they all appear to be German names. Makes me wonder what became of the musicians and singers on this recording a few years later during WWII...

Anyway, as with most operas, the recording begins with a lively overture previewing musical themes for the work. And there are some classic "Mozart moments" including the repeated pattern of 4 notes over several measures that creates motion and a build-up of drama.

Is this one of the only operas in which an instrument in the orchestra is a "character" in the story? The flute whistles its presence throughout the opera, occasionally echoed by the singers. There are great Mozart melodies throughout along with great humor (the "humming" scene as well as the Papageno duet). The celeste solos are a great touch too. All in all, as with so many Mozart compositions, the entire ensemble of instruments and voices work together to create a rich, seamless whole.

This is an opera to see in person as the staging, visuals, props, costumes, lighting and background -- and particularly the translation of the lyrics -- obviously enhance one's understanding of the storyline. The Magic Flute is rich with symbolism (the number three, and Masonic imagery) and themes of heroism, myth, enlightenment, and the triumph of humanity -- ironic considering the era in which this recording was made. All in all, a high-quality performance of a classic Mozart work of art.

"Germany can never pay enough tribute to this work. Before it German opera hardly existed: this was its moment of creation."
-Richard Wagner