FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 1, 2013 Contact: Alea Vorillas, Publicity Director (347) 948-4588 [email protected] Amore Presents American Premiere of Magic Flute II: Das Labyrinth, in conjunction with Mozart’s The Magic Flute This October, the Amore Opera will revisit a beloved opera and add a new chapter to its story by staging productions of Mozart’s The Magic Flute and the American premiere of its newly rediscovered sequel, Das Labyrinth. With lyrics by the original librettist, Emanuel Shikaneder, and music by Peter von Winter, a major composer of the period who had studied with Mozart’s rival Salieri, the opera features the same cast of fantastical yet sympathetic characters as they face unforeseen obstacles and embark on new adventures. When we last saw Pamina and Tamino at the end of The Magic Flute, the happy couple was about to marry with Sarastro’s blessing, witnessed by the birdlike couple Papageno and Papagena—en route to matrimonial bliss of their own. As Das Labyrinth begins, the vengeful Queen of the Night combines forces with Prince Tipheus to wage war on Sarastro’s army and prevent Pamina’s marriage to Tamino. Papageno is reunited with his long lost parents and young siblings, a tribe of ‘kleine Papagenos and Papagenas’ played by the Amore Opera Children’s Chorus. Meanwhile, Sarastro’s banished slave, Monostatos disguises himself to pursue Papagena and make her his bride. Multiple forces come into play as the Queen’s ladies disguise themselves as Venus and Cupid and vie for Tamino and Pamina’s love; a reptilian temptress lures Papageno away from his betrothed; and the magical glockenspiel continues to weave its charms over the characters. Das Labyrinth was a sensation when it first premiered in 1798. “Schikaneder's opera Das Labyrinth with music by Winter is the sole musical news,” wrote a reviewer for Allgemeine musikalische Zeitung on the occasion of a 1803 Berlin production. “The sheer diversity and richness, the wonderful music- powerful yet pleasing and continually varied, … all of this gave the greatest pleasure.” However, the opera subsequently fell into obscurity after several decades of popularity until a production at the 2012 Salzburg Festival brought it back onto the stage. Independently, Amore Opera conducted extensive scholarship and research to recreate its own version of the Das Labyrinth score. It turned to several libraries including the Bavarian State Library in Munich, the University of Michigan, and, most importantly, Winter's autograph score which is held at the Berlin State Library to recreate the orchestra score and individual parts, as well as to fashion a piano score. In addition, the investigation yielded discoveries that were not on display in Salzburg such as a second act duet between Papagena and Monastotos and the seductive dance of Gura, Monoastos' sister. When these numbers are performed by Amore, it will be the first time audiences hear them in more than 200 years. This project was largely undertaken by Amore’s Artistic Director, Nathan Hull, with great help from James Stenborg and Das Labyrinth’s Assistant Conductor, Michael Wittenburg.