A notice from Damon Albarn

The thought of me writing  an opera and for it to be a continuation of The Magic Flute sounds ridiculous, it was and is, not only was I grappling with the genius of Mozart but I had Goethe to deal with too !! I suppose I took a relatively reductionist strategy to the query, how the fuck do I do that ? The reply came from a shocking supply however one no less sensible, Kraftwerk.

A notice from Jeremy Sams

It was Jean-Luc Choplin that launched me to Goethe’s proposed sequel to Mozart’s Magic Flute. To my disgrace and surprise I hadn’t even heard of it ! Lots of Goethe’s innovations have been irresistible. Papageno and Papagena producing a brood of singing bird-children. Tamino and Pamina unable, by way of a curse, to console one another over their stolen youngster…

My job was to construction this 12-page fragment into an unique electro opera. And then to write down verses to encourage Damon – who in flip would encourage me. Our collaboration led us into instructions which might have stunned, and I hope, delighted Goethe. 

From a kidnapping throughout a rave, by way of an all-seeing hen and a hysterical man-queen, to a vision of the top of the world, our sequel has turned out to be wonderfully weird – virtually as bizarre as its unique. It has stunned and delighted us.

by way of Lido 2 Paris [X]