Mozart: Magic Flute Overture

The Enlightenment is regarded by many as a time when new ideas and new philosophies about life began to redefine European culture. Numerous groups popped up all over Europe where intelligent men could meet and discuss the ups and downs of society. One of these groups that is still in existence today is the Freemasons , and one of its most famous members was, of course, Mozart. For his last opera, The Magic Flute, Mozart got together with his friend and fellow Freemason, Emanuel Schiknaeder, to create a fantasy piece for the stage. As it turns out, this "fantasy opera" is filled with Masonic symbolism and even includes an initiation ceremony that is very similar to the one that new inductees experience when joining this elite secret society!