The Magic Flute

Prince Tamino is shown a portrait of Pamina, daughter of the Queen of the Night, and falls immediately in love. The Queen sends him to rescue Pamina from the sorcerer Sarastro, giving him a magic flute to protect him on the journey. Along the way, Tamino acquires a sidekick named Papageno — a bird-catcher who wants a wife more than any rescue — and begins to suspect that the Queen may not be who she says she is. Mozart's final opera is a fairy tale, a Masonic initiation ritual, and a comedy, often simultaneously. This production is sung in English and runs 90 minutes without an intermission — the most accessible opera on this list, and for many people the right one to start with. The Queen of the Night's Act 2 aria, with its high Fs and stratospheric coloratura, is the most technically demanding soprano moment in the standard repertoire.