Singspiel in two acts. Libretto by Emmanuel Schikaneder based on Lulu, one of a collection of oriental tales by Wieland entitled Dschinnistan (1786). Music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. First performed on 30 September 1791 at the Theater an der Wien. 
First performed at the Gran Teatre del Liceu on 15 January 1925.

Only Papageno could have enticed the drama company Comediants into the world of opera. Papageno is one of their own, a kindred spirit, a character with his feet on the ground, his heart fluttering with birds, his body bent on giving immediate satisfaction –without verbose metaphysics – to all a human being's primary needs: food, drink and sleep. A «man in the street», invariably sceptical about anything that cannot be touched or eaten, immersed in a world of fantasy featuring wondrous, cruel queens, mischievous fairies, brave princes, abducted princesses, huge dangerous snakes and superhuman trials of initiation. Instead of identifying with the aesthetic ideology of Sarastro or the Queen of Night, like nearly all productions of Die Zauberflöte, Comediants choose to shift the traditional viewpoint and fraternize with the «bird catcher». The sole starting point is Papageno's gaze – playful, fun-loving, instantaneous, down-to-earth,  tactile, colouristic and ironic, with a touch of frank ingenuity.