
Prince Tamino is sent by the Queen of the Night to rescue her daughter Pamina from the supposedly evil Sarastro. Armed with a magic flute and accompanied by the birdcatcher Papageno, Tamino discovers that Sarastro is a wise priest and the Queen is the true villain. The lovers must pass trials of fire and water to earn enlightenment. Mozart's final operatic masterpiece is a fairy tale, a Masonic allegory, and a meditation on the triumph of wisdom over darkness.