The Magic Flute
[La flûte enchantée]
Opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, with a libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder
John Conklin [1991], Kenzo Takada [1999] (Costumes), Andrew de Groat (Choreography)
Premiered on June 26, 1991 at the Opéra Bastille (Paris National Opera), Paris, France
Premiered on February 1, 2015 at the Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Italy
Sung in German.
Robert Wilson's staging of Mozart's The Magic Flute premiered on June 27, 1991 at the Opéra Bastille in Paris, conducted by Armin Jordan. The minimalist production proved highly polarizing, drawing both enthusiastic applause and vocal boos from audiences during its initial performances. Critics were equally divided: some dismissed the staging as emotionally distant and monotonous, while others praised the striking tension between Wilson's distinctive visual language and the opera’s narrative. Over time, the production has come to be regarded as one of the defining stagings of the early Opéra Bastille era.
For the 1999 revival, John Conklin's original costume designs were replaced by new designs by Kenzo Takada.
Original sketches and set designs created for the production are held in museum collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.