Author: Opera Grand Rapids

ArtPrize 10 brings opera to life again this year. Here are 10 opera-themed exhibits to include in your ArtPrize tour before you attend the Opera Grand Rapids Season Kick-Off Party on September 28. Most notable is a nod to our premiere opera this fall, Mozart ‘s The Magic Flute.  The “Queen of the Night” aria is depicted in three watercolor abstracts by Peg Sandin at the Venue Tower Apartments.

ArtPrize is an open, independently organized international art competition that takes place in Grand Rapids over 19 days every other fall. Rapids. More than $500,000 in prizes are awarded each year, which include a $200,000 prize awarded entirely by public vote and another $200,000 prize awarded by a jury of art experts.

1. Queen of the Night: The excitement of the opera “The Magic Flute” is captured in lively 2-D watercolors on display at the Venue Tower Apartments.

2. First Flute: This welded metal wall composition, inspired by the idea of primal music being forged by the forces of Nature, can be seen at the Monroe Community Church.

3. Flute with Attitude: This 2-D oil painting is a celebration of whimsical music located at the B.O.B.

4. Opera Offering: Inspired by the Metropolitan Opera and composers Philip Glass, Terry Riley and Arturo Toscanini, this large scale 2-D laser print is combined with the surprise of sound and located at Grand Rapids City Hall.

5. The Last Bird on a Rainy Twilight: Existentialism is on display in this oil paintingdepicting “the last flying of the bird (of its own race) in a rainy morning is a warning for 21st-century thoughtful man” at Sweet House.

6. Silent Chorus: Showing at the Fountain Street Church, this sculpture uses the tragic chorus in classic theater – where the collective stood for the personal and was used to discuss issues affecting individuals and state – to depict the silent voices of women victims.

7. Society: This acrylic on silk painting of gray cinder blocks represent“a collection of similar, but unique, individuals that come together for a common purpose.” For some viewing it at the DeVos Place Convention Center, it may connote a “society of secrets” and the geometrical and architectural theme of Freemasonry.

8. 1934: This portrait of a young President Gerald Ford – a freemason – and Willis Ward is made up of 1934 thousand pieces of ripped paper and reference images from 1934. It is displayed at the Gerald R. Ford International Airport.

9. Satellite Collective’s Echo & Narcissus: Song, words and images come together in this 10-minute vocal and hand projected performance – an aria to illuminate the unrest and discord of our moment is featured at SiTE:LAB.

10. Orpheus: This is a mix of ancient Greek legend, Austro-Italian opera and German poetry, blended with the crafts of photography, song, poetry, recitation, translation and technology. The closing lyrics are thought to be the first time the aria has been sung in Greek. View it at the The ArtRanger – Mobile Art, Performance and Augmented Reality Experience.

Mozart’s The Magic Flute is universally recognized as being a masterpiece among masterpieces. This opera is an allegorical tale, not a fairy tale, and uses symbols to express truths about the human spirit. The overarching theme is: Harmony in human society can only be realized by the perfect union of man and woman, characterized by an equality that is achieved through pure love, strength of character, and the rituals of Freemasonry.

Mozart, like many of the Founding Fathers of the United States, was a Freemason. In the late 18^th century, Freemasonry was considered a radical movement, aligned with the free thinkers of the Enlightenment. It was a threat to the aristocracy and established religion and, as such, was suppressed by the nobility and Vatican.

The opera is set in two polar opposite kingdoms: The Kingdom of Night – symbolized by the moon and the color silver, and ruled by the Queen of the Night. The Queen represents the Austrian empress Maria Theresa who oppressed Masonic Lodges. The Kingdom of the Temple of the Wisdom is symbolized by the sun and the color gold, and is led by the High Priest Sarastro who represents Ignaz von Born, leader of the Vienna Masonic Lodge of which Mozart was a member. These two kingdoms will only be reconciled by the union of opposing kingdom prince and princess Tamino and Pamina, respectively, and the victory of the sun (enlightenment) over the moon (the established order).

When we first meet Tamino he is running in fear from a serpent that represents his irrational ignorance of the Masonic Order. He is then lied to by the Queen to the Night and sent off to rescue her daughter Pamina from Sarastro. The rest of the opera is occupied by Tamino and Pamina finding pure love and enduring the Masonic trials of self-discipline through silence. They are ultimately purified by the basic elements of fire and water. Once they have successfully gone through these trials, Sarastro gives them the shield of the sun to be wise and benevolent rulers.

And why a magic flute? A common Masonic theme is that music has the power to transcend human fear and hatred. So, the moral of the story is that through the Masonic Order and guided by the beauty of music, society is enlightened – men and women equally.

The most memorable character in The Magic Flute is Papageno the birdcatcher, who was created to entertain the audience and further obscure the Masonic messaging of the plot. For the opera’s premier performances, the role of Papageno was played by actor Emanuel Schikaneder. Schikaneder was also the librettist for The Magic Flute and the owner of Teatre on Der Wien where the work premiered. Papageno is an Everyman and endures his own set of trials, at which he fails miserably. Yet, the kindly gods provide him a beautiful young wife and our Everyman couple populate the world with many little Papagenos and Papagenas. It’s a bit of a cynical comment that while there are few Taminos and Paminas, there are many Papagenos and Papagenas.

But why not just come out and say all of this? Well, remember that at the time of Mozart, Freemasonry was under a Papal bull of condemnation, and suppressed by the nobility. It was not only unfashionable, but potentially dangerous to be a Freemason. As you enjoy the delightfully brilliant music of Mozart in The Magic Flute, keep in mind the philosophical journey toward enlightenment that is shared by Tamino and Pamina.

Opera Grand Rapids’ production of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s The Magic Flute is being performed, in English, October 26^th and 27^th at DeVos Performance Hall. The production stars acclaimed artists John Viscardi as the comic Papageno and Jana McIntyre as the star-blazing Queen of the Night, with the Opera Grand Rapids Chorus and the Grand Rapids Symphony under the baton of Artistic Director, Maestro James Meena.