TODAY ON BARITONE FRIDAY - "Der Vogelfanger bin ich ja" from Mozart's Magic Flute

For Baritone Friday, I have selected the charming aria "Ein Vogelfanger Bin Ich Ja" that introduces baritone Detlef Roth in his  funny interpretation of Papageno the Bird Catcher in Mozart's magical opera The Magic Flute or Die Zauberflote in German. 
 

Here are the lyrics to the aria:

 

Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja

Papageno's Aria from The Magic Flute

Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja, 

Stets lustig heissa hopsasa! 

Ich Vogelfänger bin bekannt 

bei Alt und Jung im ganzen Land. 

Weiß mit dem Lokken umzugehn 

und mich aufs Pfeiffen zu verstehen! 

Drum kann ich froh und lustig sein, 

Denn alle Vögel sind ja mein. 

Der Vogelfänger bin ich ja, 

Stets lustig heissa hopsasa! 

Ich Vogenfänger bin bekannt 

Bei Alt und Jung im ganzen Land. 

Ein Netz für Mädchen möchte ich;

Ich fing sie dutzendweis für mich! 

Dann sperrte ich sie bei mir ein 

Und alle Mädchen wären mein. 

Wenn alle Mädchen wären mein,

So tauschte ich brav Zukker ein.

Die welche mir am liebsten wär, 

der gäb ich gleich den Zukker her.

Und küsste sie mich zärtlich dann, 

Wär' sie mein Weib und ich ihr Mann. 

Sie schlief an meiner Seite ein; 

ich wiegte wie ein Kind sie ein.

"The Bird Catcher I Am Indeed"

ENGLISH TRANSLATION

The birdcatcher I am indeed, 

Always happy, heidi heh hey!

I, the birdcatcher, am well known

To old and young throughout the land. 

Know how to get around the bird decoys 

And be understood on the fife. 

Therefore I can be happy and funny, 

For all the birds are indeed mine. 

The birdcatcher I am indeed,

Always happy, heidi heh hey! 

I, the birdcatcher, am well-known 

To old and young throughout the land.

A net for girls is what I would like;

I¹d catch them by the dozen for me! 

Then I would lock them up with me 

And all the girls would be mine. 

If all the girls were mine, 

Then I¹d dutifully trade for some sugar. 

The one I liked the best, 

To her I would immediately give the sugar. 

And if she kissed me tenderly then, 

She would be my wife and I her husband. 

She would fall asleep by my side; 

I would rock her to sleep like a child. 

Listen to Dietrich Fischer in the role of Papageno:

Here is Simon Keenlyside singing the aria in a hilarious outfit:

 

Here is an English version of the Magic Flute with Nathan Gunn singing the role of Papageno. The costumes and decor look Chinese. One would think we had walked into a set of Turandot! The setting of the Magic Flute is supposed to be in a far-off land, equivalent to that Star Wars "in a galaxy long time ago". Many productions choose Egypt because of the Masonic symbology in the opera. The choice of ancient Cathay makes this production unique and quite interesting:

Here is Nathan Gunn singing the aria in the original German.

 

We end Baritone Friday with a clip from Ingmar Bergman's celebrated and fabulous film of the Magic Flute, sung in Swedish and with English subtitles. The Swedish language somehow fits well with Mozart's music.

This concludes our Baritone Friday.


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