Synopsis

ACT ONE
The young prince Tamino, dressed as a hunter, enters the stage pursued by a snake. Overwhelmed with emotions, he prays the gods to save him and then he faints. The doors of the temple open wide and three Ladies appear. They hit and kill the snake; then they stop to glance at the attractive boy and finally leave to warn the Star-Blazing Queen of the Night. Tamino awakens and finds the snake dead; he is surprised and thinks that a strange character has saved his life: Papageno, a vagabond bird-catcher dressed in feathers, who is playing a small Panpipe.

Papageno takes the credit, but the three Ladies soon punish him for lying and shut his mouth with a golden padlock.
In the meantime, the Ladies show Tamino the portrait of Star-Blazing Queen of the Night’s daughter. Young Pamina’s beauty sets his heart on fire. However, the evil Sarastro has kidnapped the girl but Tamino, conquered by her beauty, offers himself to rescue her.
The Ladies, then, handing the prince a golden flute with magical powers, set Papageno free from the padlock and enjoin him to follow Tamino to Sarastro’s castle. They hand him a magical instrument, too: a music box.

Pamina has tried to escape from Monostatos’ harassment, but he has recaptured her and now the girl is brought by force in the palace.
Monostatos and Papageno see each other and are terrified; the first flees and so Papageno gets close to Pamina and tells her that her mother has sent him and a young prince to set her free. Then they run away together.

Three child-spirits lead Tamino to the Temple of Isis: the doors of Reason and Nature are closed; the door of Wisdom opens and a priest tells Tamino that Sarastro is not an evil sorcerer and that he has taken Pamina away from her mother for good reasons. Then he reassures the prince that the girl is alive.

Tamino and Papageno, who’s escorting Pamina, search for each other in the woods, using their magic tools to be heard; the music box proves to be very useful to scare Monostatos and his fellows off, as they are about to capture Papageno and Pamina.

Sarastro and his retinue approach: Pamina asks for forgiveness and explains the reason for her escape. Sarastro tells he is going to give her in marriage to a worthy knight, but he will never let her back to her mother. Monostatos drags in Tamino. The two lovers, who has never met before, rush into each other’s arms, while Monostatos, after asking for a reward, is punished.

ACT TWO
Sarastro tells his priests to take care of Tamino, as he is eager to undergo the three trials that will let him join the rank of the initiates and marry Pamina.

Tamino and Papageno, with a hood on their heads, prepare themselves to face the trials: the first firm in his purpose, seized by sudden terrors the second.
The first trial is silence. Left alone, the two men are approached by the Queen of the Night and by her three Ladies, who try in every way to make them fail, but in vain.

In the meantime, in a wood, Monostatos gets close to the sleeping Pamina and tries to kiss her. Star-Blazing appears and saves her daughter, who happily throws herself in the Queen’s arms, looking for consolation since she believes that Tamino has abandoned her to follow the rites of initiation.
Star-Blazing gives her daughter a dagger to kill Sarastro; but Monostatos, who has heard everything, threatens to reveal the plot.
Sarastro arrives, sends Monostatos away and reassures the girl by telling her that love, not vengeance, leads to happiness.

Tamino and Papageno continues their trial. An old and ugly woman appears, claiming to be Papagena; she starts talking to Papageno, then disappears in a great roar of thunders. A table fully laid appears in the sky and the two men have some refreshment before continuing the trial.
Summoned by Tamino’s flute, Pamina arrives but her beloved cannot speak to her. Upset, she tries to commit suicide, but the child-spirits save her, reassuring the girl about Tamino’s feelings. Now he has to face other two trials, fire and water.
Pamina follows her lover and advises him to play the flute. They undergo both trials.

In a garden, Papageno is in despair: Papagena, turned into a young and beautiful girl, appeared for a moment and then disappeared right away. She comes back at the sound of the music box.

In a landscape of craggy rocks, the Queen of the Night, Monostatos and the three Ladies are trying to sneak up to the temple and kill Sarastro. However, the earth, shaken by an earthquake, opens up and swallows them.

In the temple of the Sun, Sarastro in throne surrounded by the priests, together with Tamino and Pamina, celebrates the triumph of sun over the night.