The secrets of Mozart’s “Magic Flute” - Joshua Borths

Translator: Anja Praprotnik Reviewer: Matej Divjak

A boy named Prince Tamino runs through a dark wood

Deček po imenu princ Tamino v temačnem gozdu beži pred zmajem.

pursued by a dragon.

Just as it rears up to devour him,

Ravno, ko se zmaj vzpne, da bi ga požrl,

three mysterious ladies appear

se pojavijo tri skrivnostne dame

and slay the dragon with their fierce battle cry.

in zmaja pokončajo s srditim bojnim krikom.

So begins Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's "Die Zauberflöte,"

Tako se začne "Die Zauberflöte" Wolfganga Amadeusa Mozarta,

or "The Magic Flute."

v slovenščini "Čarobna piščal."

Ta domišljijska spevoigra,

This fantasy singspiel,

a type of folk opera with music and dialogue,

vrsta folk opere z glasbo in dialogom,

premiered in 1791 in Vienna.

je bila prvič uprizorjena leta 1791 na Dunaju.

Čeprav morda izgleda kot otročja pravljica,

Though it may seem like a childish fairytale,

this intricate opera is full of subversive symbolism,

je ta zapletena opera polna subverzivnega simbolizma

in dandanes velja za eno najvplivnejših oper sploh.

and it's now regarded as one of the most influential operas in history.

Taminov spopad z zmajem je zgolj začetek njegove poti.

Tamino's run in with the dragon is only the start of his journey.

The three women summon their leader, the Queen of the Night.

Tri dame prikličejo svojo vodjo, Kraljico noči,

She, in turn, sends Tamino on a quest to rescue her daughter Pamina

ki Tamina pošlje na pomoč svoji hčeri Pamini,

from the evil sorcerer, Sarastro.

ujetnici zlega čarovnika Sarastra.

And to help him on his journey, she gives him the titular magic flute.

Podari mu čarobno piščal iz naslova, da bi mu bila v pomoč.

Tamino eventually finds Pamina at Sarastro's temple,

Tamino na koncu najde Pamino v Sarastrovem templju,

but behind enemy lines,

vendar za sovražnikovo črto

Tamino and Pamina learn that they're on the wrong side.

Tamino in Pamina ugotovita, da sta na napačni strani.

The Queen of Night actually wants to plunge the world into darkness.

Kraljica noči hoče svet pravzaprav pahniti v temo.

Everything Tamino thought he knew was wrong,

Vse, kar je Tamino mislil, da ve, je bilo narobe,

filling him with doubt and confusion.

kar ga napolni z dvomi in zmedo.

So, a new quest begins for Tamino and Pamina.

Tako se za Tamina in Pamino začne nov podvig.

Prestati morata tri preizkušnje modrosti

They must pass three trials of wisdom,

and only then can the day vanquish the night.

in šele tedaj lahko dan premaga noč.

Helped by the flute's magic power,

S pomočjo piščaline čarobne moči,

the two youths overcome these trials and the Queen's attempts to sabotage them.

mladostnika prestaneta te preizkušnje in poskuse Kraljice, da bi ju sabotirala.

They're finally initiated into the temple having restored balance to the kingdom.

Končno sta sprejeta v tempelj, ker sta kraljestvu vrnila ravnovesje.

Many elements in this peculiar fairytale

Številne elemente v tej nenavadni pravljici

were inspired by Mozart's involvement in Freemasonry,

je navdahnilo prostozidarstvo,

mreža bratskih organizacij po Evropi, ki ji je pripadal tudi Mozart.

a network of fraternal organizations throughout Europe.

Much of their history, symbolism, and ritual came from the Middle Ages.

Veliko njihove zgodovine, simbolizma in obredja je izhajalo iz srednjega veka.

But the Freemasons of Mozart's time

Vendar so na prostozidarje Mozartovega časa

were also influenced by 18th century European ideals -

vplivali tudi ideali 18. stoletja v Evropi:

rationalism, humanism, and skepticism towards traditional authorities,

racionalizem, humanizem in skepticizem do tradicionalnih oblasti,

like monarchy and the church.

kakršni sta monarhija in Cerkev.

The symbols of Freemasonry and these ideals of the Enlightenment

Simboli prostozidarstva in ideali razsvetljenstva

are found throughout the opera.

se pojavljajo skozi celo opero.

Če to zveni kot teorija zarote, bo to zato, ker je takrat tako rekoč bila,

If this sounds like a conspiracy theory, that's because it sort of was at the time,

but it's now taken quite seriously

vendar jo danes jemljemo povsem resno.

and has been the subject of considerable scholarly publication.

Povezava je bila predmet številnih akademskih razprav.

For example, some Mozart scholars believe the Queen of the Night

Nekateri strokovnjaki, na primer, verjamejo, da Kraljica noči

symbolizes Maria Theresa, the Empress of the Holy Roman Empire

simbolizira Marijo Terezijo, cesarico Svetega rimskega cesarstva,

who opposed Freemasonry and banned it in Austria.

ki je nasprotovala prostozidarstvu in ga v Avstriji prepovedala.

While there continues to be debate as to the specific meaning,

Čeprav si še vedno nismo na jasnem o točnem pomenu, interpretaciji

interpretation,

and location of these masonic references,

in lokaciji teh prostozidarskih omemb,

scholars agree that they're there and are fully intentional.

se strokovnjaki strinjajo, da so prisotne in povsem namerne.

One of these symbols is the number three,

Eden teh simbolov je število tri,

ki je prostozidarjem predstavljalo ravnovesje in red.

which represented balance and order to Freemasons.

Število tri lahko seveda najdemo povsod v pripovedništvu,

Now the number three is, of course, easy to find in any work of storytelling,

but it's particularly prominent in "The Magic Flute":

toda v Čarobni piščali je še posebej pomembno:

three trials,

tri preizkušnje,

tri dame,

three ladies,

trije duhovi

three spirits,

and three doors,

in troje vrat.

much of the music is written in E-flat major,

Veliko glasbe je napisane v Es-duru,

ki ima tri nižaje

which has three flats in its key signature,

and historically, masonic rituals began with three knocks.

in prostozidarski obredi so se vedno začeli s tremi trki.

The opera references them by opening with three majestic chords

Opera se sklicuje na te tri trke tako, da se začne s tremi veličastnimi akordi,

complete with dramatic pauses.

ločenimi z dramatičnimi premori.

Those chords, which reoccur throughout the opera,

Ti akordi, ki se ponavljajo skozi celotno opero,

serve another purpose.

služijo še enemu namenu:

They capture the dramatic arc of the opera in miniature.

zajamejo dramski trikotnik opere v miniaturi.

Prvi akord, Es-dur, je v svoji najnaravnejši, izvorni poziciji,

The first chord, E-flat major, is in its most natural root position,

simple and unadorned.

preprost in neolepšan.

It echoes the child-like Prince Tamino,

Posnema otroškega princa Tamina,

who, in his naiveté, accepts everything the Queen and her ladies say

ki, v svoji naivnosti, sprejme vse, kar mu povedo Kraljica in njene dame

without question.

brez pomisleka.

The second chord is C minor,

Drugi akord je C-mol,

a sour sonority that mirrors Tamino's sadness and doubt

zlovoljno sozvočje, ki zrcali Taminovo žalost in dvom sredi opere.

in the middle of the opera.

That's when his world and notions of good and evil get turned on their heads.

Takrat so njegov svet in njegove predstave o dobrem in zlu postavljeni na glavo.

And good and evil are just two of the opera's extreme opposites.

Dobro in zlo sta le eno izmed številnih skrajnih nasprotij v operi.

It features some of the highest and lowest notes in opera,

Vsebuje ene najvišjih in ene najnižjih not v operah,

dan in noč,

day and night,

simple hummable melodies and complicated forward-looking music.

preproste melodije, ki jih je moč mrmrati ter zapleteno, napredno glasbo.

The opera's central theme concerns balancing these extremes

Osrednja tema opere je ohranjanje ravnotežja med temi skrajnostmi,

to achieve perfect harmony.

da bi dosegli popolno harmonijo.

To reflect this,

To se odraža tudi v zadnjem akordu uvoda, ki povrne glasbeni red.

the final chord in the opening restores musical order.

It returns to the triumphant E-flat major,

Vrne se zmagoviti Es-dur,

the same chord it started with but inverted,

isti akord, s katerim se je opera začela, vendar obrnjen,

meaning Mozart moved the bottom note to the top.

kar pomeni, da je Mozart spodnjo noto prestavil na vrh.

Čeprav ohrani originalno harmonijo, akord zveni višje,

Although it retains its original harmony, the chord sounds higher,

pointing towards enlightenment.

cilja namreč na razsvetljenstvo.

That's similar to Tamino,

To spominja na Tamina,

who in passing his trials restores balance to the kingdom

ki s prestajanjem preizkušenj kraljestvu povrne ravnotežje,

while growing stronger, wiser, and more complete.

pri tem pa postane močnejši, pametnejši in popolnejši.