The Magic flute (Théâtre des Champs-Elysées)

Die Zauberflöte belongs to the Singspiel tradition, the German version of the French opéra comique, which combines spoken dialogue and singing. This mysterious yet fascinating work was composed a few weeks before Mozart’s death. The libretto by Schikaneder, a fellow freemason, has long been open to a variety of interpretations – a symbolic story, an allegorical tale, a popular fable or a fairy play, for example. There is a Pamina to suit every taste. The constant is Mozart’s music, permeated by swirling lightness as laughter, emotion and seriousness alternate with great flair. The long journey from childhood to adulthood and from those first adolescent stirrings to true love strikes a clear chord with filmmaker Cédric Klapisch. His first foray into opera allows him to make the transition from family chronicle to rite of passage fable.