Wen solche Lehren erfreuen

Went tonight to the Met's newish production of Die Zauberflöte (it was actually designed for the Dutch Royal Opera ten years before the Met brought it over in 2022). After being initially nonplussed by its scrappy unprettiness and the busy way it overflows into the audience, I was surprised to be swept along in the second half and then found myself floating in joy at the end. The music? Yes, definitely. Mozart's alchemy produces the finest gold finales. (Performances were A-/B+.) 

But it's the story, too, which is about the triumph of Enlightenment values, with some nice adjustments director Simon McBurney made to it - the Queen of the Night is reconciled rather than banished at the end. It turns out the silliness of the production makes the joy truer. It is a little silly to think that human beings might be able to live in love, virtue and joy. A gamble, but one it would be so happy to win.

Sarastro's Temple is perhaps best presented with a grain of salt too, but when he describes its ideals to Pamina it was impossible not to think they had been crafted to speak to our own moment, where one man's maniacal quest for vengeance and retribution threatens to undo the world:

       In diesen heil'gen Hallen

       Kennt man die Rache nicht,

       Und ist der Mensch gefallen,

       Führt Liebe ihn zur Pflicht.

       Dann wandelt er an Freundes Hand

       Vergnügt und froh in's beß're Land …

 

       In diesen heil'gen Mauern,

       Wo Mensch den Menschen liebt,

      Kann kein Verräther lauern,

      Weil man dem Feind vergiebt.

      Wen solche Lehren nicht erfreun,

      Verdienet nicht, ein Mensch zu sein …

The last words are often Englished in a more vague way but say that whomever the teachings of forgiveness, friendship and love does not fill with joy doesn't deserve to be human.