Author: Berk, M.F.M.van den.
Title: The magic flute. Die Zauberflöte. An alchemical allegory.
Description: Leiden & Boston, Brill. 2004. XXI,650 pp. 92 b./w. figs on [70] plts. Orig. hardcover (pictorial boards). 8vo. - Without the three CD's. This volume demonstrates for the first time that Mozart's opera Die Zauberflöte is an enactment of the alchemical opus magnum, in the form of a chemical wedding. Towards the end of the 18th century, alchemy was still a prominent mystical current within the Order of Freemasons of which Mozart and his librettists were members. The central part focuses on the opera's alchemical structure, whereas the historical and mythological backgrounds are also dealt with extensively. The Magic Flute is a fascinating journey of discovery, an initiation into Initiation. With complete original libretto.

Keywords: Music Opera Muziek