directions
Mozart
Schikaneder
History
Bampton Classical Opera

Magic 6

Part of our MAGIC SIX

in fact there are SIX operas around the ONE famous opera Magic Flute!

We present each one on a single page (click!)

connecting aspects on ONE meta-web-site:

Magic.DoctorsDome.events

The Philosopher’s Stone

Part of out MAGIC FIVE

Der Stein der Weisen, oder die Zauberinsel (German for The Philosopher’s Stone, or the Enchanted Isle) is a two-act singspiel jointly composed by Johann Baptist HennebergBenedikt SchackFranz Xaver GerlEmanuel Schikaneder, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart in 1790. The libretto was written by Schikaneder.

Der Stein der Weisen was composed using a “team approach” in which each composer contributed individual sections of the piece. All five wrote parts of act 2, and all except Mozart wrote parts of act 1. Henneberg composed the work’s overture. Schikaneder wrote the libretto for the entire piece.[2] The text is based on a fairy tale from Christoph Martin Wieland‘s Dschinnistan [de], published in the late 1780s.[3]

All five were later involved in The Magic Flute: Mozart as composer, Schikaneder as librettist, impresario and performer (Papageno), Henneberg as conductor, and Schack and Gerl as performers (respectively Tamino and Sarastro).[4] Der Stein der Weisen may have provided a model for that work, as the two have a similar structure and source.

The work was initially popular, but was largely absent from the standard repertoire for the two centuries after 1814. American musicologist David Buch announced the discovery of a Viennese score with attributions to all five composers.[5] This was taken by some to indicate that Der Stein der Weisen was a previously unknown Mozart work, although in fact only a duet (“Nun, liebes Weibchen”,[6] known as the “cat duet”) and two sections of the act 2 finale were attributed to him.

The singspiel was premiered on 11 September 1790 in the Theater auf der Wieden, conducted by Henneberg. It was first recorded by the Boston Baroque in 1999.

After the successful World Premiere this opera was played without interruption over 24 years which tells it was an immens success. The last performance was February 28th, 1814 in Linz/Austria.

Then, in 1998 David J. Buch discovered a manuscript in the Hamburg State Lbrary and published a modern version. Performances were mounted at the Hampstead & Highgate Festival, Augsburg Opera and Pepperdine University in 2001, by Bampton Classical Opera in 2002, by Combattimento Consort Amsterdam in 2003, the Astoria Music Festival, Garsington Opera and Salzburg’s Haus für Mozart in 2006, Opernhaus Zürich (at the Stadttheater Winterthur) in 2010, and the Tiroler Landestheater in Innsbruck in 2018.

Here is now the sounding partition for studying the opera:

Synopsis by Laurence Selenick:
ACT ONE

In an Arcadian landscape dominated by a pyramid, shepherds and shepherdesses gather to render tribute to Astromonte, the protective spirit of their land  (Introduction). After the priest and leader of the community Sadik strews incense on the altar, he expresses his alarm that his foster son Nadir and daughter Nadine are not among the worshippers.

Nadir and Nadine, along with the forester Lubano and his lover Lubanara are heard singing . When the two couples approach the temple with their offerings, the people declare that they have desecrated it.  Only virgins may offer sacrifice, and it turns out that Lubano and Lubanara were recently married.  Everyone runs from them in horror.

The newlyweds quarrel: Lubano is jealous of his wife’s friends, while the sprightly Lubanara is tired of being cooped up all day in the house. When he tries to frighten her by mentioning the evil spirit Eutifronte, she laughs and wishes she could go for a ride in Astromonte’s aerial chariot. Lubano is appalled and sings of the frivolity of women (aria).

Sadik questions the sincerity of Lubanara’s love for Lubano, since, by bringing him to the temple, she has put him in mortal danger. Astromonte may be angered by their audacity. Lubanara retorts that Astromonte is a wise god who knows how to appreciate her devotion and expresses contempt for graybeards like Sadik (aria).  The priest orders that Lubano be stripped of his hunting rights and equipment. Lubanara is warned that she is now susceptible to punishment from Astromonte and attack by his brother, the evil demon Eutifronte.

Sadik then reproaches Nadir and Nadine for not telling him of Lubano’s marriage. Just as Sadik expresses a vague apprehension that Astromonte may abduct Nadine, a genie arrives in a cloud chariot, carrying a bird in a cage (chorus with solo). It announces that Astromonte plans to attend a competition at which the bird will sing only to the most virtuous virgin in the vicinity. The cage is hung on the pyramid, as each virgin imagines herself the winner.

While Lubano sleeps in his cabin in a forest glade, Lubanara plans to present herself as a virgin in the hope that Astromonte will carry her off in his cloud chariot. Lubano overhears this and orders her to return to the cabin, but once he leaves, she lets herself out again. She is revelling in her freedom, when Lubano dances her back into the cabin, padlocking the door (duet).

In solitary confinement, the exasperated Lubanara wishes for an evil spirit like Eutifronte to come to her aid. At these words, he springs up from the underworld and enters the cabin (recitative and aria).  Lubano returns and orders his wife to leave this strange man, but the demon transports her beneath the earth. Lubano looks into the abyss and when he lifts his head, it is crowned with antlers, the traditional sign of a cuckold. Two dwarfs show him his reflection in a mirror, as hunters and hounds are heard in the distance.  They take Lubano for a stag and give chase (chorus and solo).

Nadir fears that if the bird chooses Nadine as purest of them all, Astromonte will carry her off.  She reassures him that in that case, the two lovers will run away together (aria).  Left alone, however, Nadir hears the voice of Astromonte, warning him not to run away (recitative). Moved to the core, Nadir prays the god to bestow Nadine upon him (aria).

As the finale begins, Sadik reproaches Nadine: her plan of evasion is breaking his heart.  But Nadine wants Sadik’s blessing. The genie arrives to conduct the trial by bird.  The virgins are chagrined to find that, as it is passed from hand to hand, it fails to sing; their swains are troubled by this silence. Only when.touched by Nadine does the bird break into song.

Lubano, still with horns on his head, and pursued by huntsmen, hides inside the pyramid.

At that moment, Astromonte descends in his cloud chariot to accept the burnt offering of the people.  As he is about to leave, the magic bird sings again, reminding him of the contest of the virgins.  Nadine is presented to him and, charmed by her beauty, he leads her to his chariot.  She faints as it carries her away.  As Nadir and Sadik lament her loss, Lubano demands the return of his wife.  The entire community decides to embark on a quest to recover Nadine. 

ACT TWO

Off a rocky coast, the shepherds and shepherdesses, in two storm-tossed ships, pray to Astromonte to save them; but the masts are struck by lightning and the ships go down. As the storm subsides, Eutifronte appears and boasts of his power in raising the storm, but the genie exhorts him to be reconciled with Astromonte (chorus and recitative). Each unaware that the other has survived, Nadir and Lubano crawl on to the rocks. Nadir faints in exhaustion, as Lubano complains that women lead men by the nose (aria).

In his sleep, Nadir curses Astromonte.  Overhearing this, Eutifronte decides to forge the youth into a tool of his revenge. He explains to Nadir that he and Astromonte were both sons of a famous wise man, the most powerful of all magicians. When Eutifronte cursed his elder brother for being heir to the Philosopher’s Stone, greatest of all magic powers, their father denied it to both of them.  He had an eagle carry it off and decreed it would be bestowed one day on the son of one of them.  Nadir also learns that both brothers once loved the same princess, but she wed Astromonte.  When she gave birth to a child, Eutifronte sent henchmen to suffocate the baby, and the princess died of grief.  Then, to comfort Astromonte, their father gave him the magic bird. After relating this history, Eutifronte tells Nadir that the only way to rescue Nadine is to kill Astromonte.

Meanwhile, Lubano, hungry and alone, is bemoaning his fate, when the genie brings a large fruit.  To his disappointment, there is a book inside the fruit, containing words of wisdom.  Eight dancing dwarfs beckon (march), but, as he is about to follow them, Lubanara suddenly appears. Claiming to have resisted Eutifronte’s charms, she tells him how the demon has persuaded Nadir to do his bidding. She plans to reveal the truth to Nadir, but Eutifronte prevents this by casting a spell over her. Now Lubanara can only meow like a cat (duet).  Lubano decides to appeal to Eutifronte to remove the spell.

Deep underground, Eutifronte tells Nadir to await seven hammer blows that summon the spirits to lead him to the Vault of Terror where the magic sword of revenge is being forged (aria). Left alone, Nadir pray for divine guidance and the return of his past happiness with Nadine (aria).  As soon as he is reunited with Lubano and Lubanara, Eutifronte’s dwarfs arrive to lead them to the forge.

The companions are led into a rockbound smithy by the dwarfs, but Lubanara is ordered to leave, for the ceremony must be witnessed by men alone. The genie appears and steals Lubanara from the dwarfs who follow in hot pursuit.  Eutifronte conjures up eight spirits which forge the magic sword and predict Astromonte’s excruciating death (chorus). Nadir accepts the sword, but warns Eutifronte of the consequences if Nadine is not returned to him.

In a wooded glade the dwarfs pursuing Lubanara are thrown down an abyss by the genie.

Eutifronte leads in Nadir and Lubano, explaining Nadir now has the power to fly out of reach of the armed warriors who protect Astromonte. He presents him with a magic arrow which can kill whatever it strikes, including Astromonte’s magic bird. After Eutifronte sinks back into the earth, Nadir hears the bird and runs off to find it, leaving Lubano to comment on the mad things people do for love (aria).

Nadir has penetrated Astromonte’s palace, unbeknownst to Nadine who reaffirms her love for the youth (aria).  Arriving at the palace after Nadir, Lubano vents his anger at Eutifronte but is overheard by the evil god. 

As the finale begins, he hears his wife’s meows and sighs, “My wife is still a cat.”  Suddenly he is grabbed by Eutifronte and dragged into the abyss. 

Inside the palace, Nadir, first supplicating and then threatening Astromonte, shoots the magic arrow at the bird. Nadine cries out that she is mortally wounded, and her body is borne in by armed men and mourning women, as Nadir curses Eutifronte.  Astromonte’s genie, however, rescues Nadir from despair and hurries him away.

Back in the glade, Eutifronte imprisons Lubano in a bird-cage in the hope that the illusion will lead Nadir to kill his friend. Just as the youth draws his sword to slay what he thinks is the bird, Astromonte, disguised as an old man, appears with the real bird.  He tells Nadir that if he gives up the sword, Nadine and all his drowned companions will be recalled to life. The old man reveals Nadir’s secret identity: he is Astromonte’s son, rescued from the waves when Eutifronte’s henchmen, loath to smother him, threw his cradle into the sea.

Eutifronte and his demons are confounded by this news, especially when Nadir hands over the sword to Astromonte. Now that Nadir is acknowledged to be Astromonte’s heir, the eagle flies in and presents him with the all-powerful Philosopher’s Stone.

Restored to life, Nadine reappears. Astromonte throws off his disguise and orders Eutifronte to reform so that they can live in peace as brothers, but the demon and his spirits plunge back down into the abyss. With Eutifronte’s defeat, Lubano’s cage vanishes and Lubanara’s voice is restored.

The scene changes to a magnificent temple. The pastoral folk give thanks to Astromonte and hail the marriage of Nadir and Nadine, with a pledge to repeat the sacred rites every year.