The Magic Flute Queen of the Night's coloratura, the bells, Sarastro's trombones, even the farewell in Scene I for clarinets and pizzicato strings—a single dramatic stroke." The opera begins with the overture, which Mozart composed last. "Scene 1: A rough, rocky landscape" Tamino, a handsome prince lost in a distant land, is pursued by a serpent and asks the gods to save him (aria: "" segued into trio: ""). He faints, and three ladies, attendants of the Queen of the Night, appear and kill the serpent. They find the unconscious prince extremely attractive, and each of them tries to convince the other two
British National Opera Company free of charge, to support the company. She did not, however, feel equal to relearning her old roles in English translation, and she sang in Italian while the rest of the company sang in the vernacular. The British National Opera Company was a pioneer of broadcast opera, with excerpts from "The Magic Flute" broadcast live from the Royal Opera House by the British Broadcasting Company in January 1923, less than a year after the foundation of both the BBC and the opera company. The company's first artistic director was Percy Pitt, who had been music director with the Grand Opera