With blue lights shining on the stage, several arch combinations line the stage. With the music slowly playing, the ISU Chamber Orchestra began a beautiful musical adventure for Mozart’s The Magic Flute.

The opera is held the audience’s attention for the entire show, for more than two hours, making even the younger audience members sit straight and quiet.

Suddenly, a giant green serpent pursues the main character Prince Tamino, played by Ian Butler (junior in vocal music performance), to the center of the stage. Then, three ladies who serve the Queen of the Night, played by Taylor Troyer (senior in vocal performance), rescue Tamino.

Then, these three ladies showed Tamino the photo of the Queen of the Night’s daughter Pamina, played by Sara Jane Mildenstein (senior in vocal music education). Not surprisingly, Tamino fall in love with Panina from this moment.

When Tamino are told by these three ladies that Pamina are captured by Sarastro, play by Braeden Irvine ( junior in music education), he decided to start the journey for rescue his dream lover Pamina from Sarastro.

In fact, Sarastro is not a demon as Prince thought. On the contrary, he is a saints with love, trying to restore the balance of the world and rebuild the paradise.

Mozart’s “The Magic Flute” contains contrasting elements of lightness and darkness, with great use of vocal dynamics and range. With the appearance on stage of the Queen of the Night, the entire opera are moved forward to the climax.

The Queen of the Night, in flowing shinny floor-length black dress, showed off her vocals in her live performance. Since the Queen of the Night want to to rule the world through superstition, hatred and slavery, Sarastro is taking Pamina away from the “Night” to the “Sun”. 

Another main character Papageno, played by Philip Sears (senior in English literature and music) showed the audience his comic genius, making the audience burst into laughter throughout the play.

Papageno has the different characteristic to Tamino, that Tamino always act orderly as a prince while Papageno act fickleness. One impressive scene featured Papageno dressed in feathers and chasing three “birds,” played by three ensemble actors, who had bird puppets on their hands. 

The magic flute, which is a powerful “weapon” helps Tamino come over the difficulties. At the end of the opera, Tamino finally rescued Pamina. Since then, Sarastro announced that the “Sun” beats over the “Night”, and the world is come over the unbalanced disorder into the new era that is more rational and enlightened.

It also reminds me pondering on the nature of good and evil. Just as the director said in the show’s pamphlet, “the Light cannot exist without the Dark, Joy cannot exist without Sadness, nor Harmony without Dissonance.” This is reflected through both light and dark characters, who convey this idea on stage. 

After all of the actors answer the curtain call, the audience given the cast and ISU Chamber Orchestra a standing ovation. 

Through this musical opera, I could sense how difficult the process of the world’s progressing from superstitious to openminded is. Since Tamino use the magic flute to overcome the obstacles in his journey, I also think it can be realized that music is the most powerful weapon to lead us forward and protect ourselves. It can be our loyalty and reliable friend accompany us when confronting with the challenge. From the music, I really feel the power of music that it has more power than language and root deep in soul.