The Magic Flute the Masonic influence is exaggerated. Schikaneder and Mozart were Freemasons, as was Ignaz Alberti, engraver and printer of the first libretto. The opera is also influenced by Enlightenment philosophy and can be regarded as advocating enlightened absolutism. The Queen of the Night is seen by some to represent a dangerous form of obscurantism, by others to represent Roman Catholic Empress Maria Theresa, and still others see the Roman Catholic Church itself, which was strongly anti-Masonic. Some modern audiences detect strains of misogyny and casual racism in "The Magic Flute". The names of the performers at the premiere are taken from
Opera Siam Opera Siam Opera Siam, formerly Bangkok Opera, is an opera company in Bangkok, Thailand. It presents an international opera repertoire, together with home-grown favorites. This opera company was founded in 2001, as a production company to mount "Madana", the first full-length grand opera by Thai composer S. P. Somtow. This production featured in the title role the American soprano Stacey Tappan. In 2002, with Somtow as artistic director, the Bangkok Opera began a series of productions, the first being Purcell's Dido and Aeneas. The series then moved onto larger-scale works such as Mae Naak, The Magic Flute, and Turandot. At