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
The Magic Flute (ballet) the Imperial Ballet, where it was first presented on at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre with Anna Johansson in the role of Lise and Pavel Gerdt in the role of Luc. The ballet served as a useful vehicle for the ballerinas of the Tsarist stage including Anna Pavlova, who would later include the work in the repertory of her own touring company. Drigo's score was later published in piano reduction and orchestral partition by the music publisher Zimmerman in 1912. The score was recorded in 1990 by the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Richard Bonynge and