Monday, April 23, 2018

Extended dramatic compositions

The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart,
Death and despair flame about me!
~Queen of the Night aria


Have you heard the Queen of the Night aria by Mozart? It's an unusual-sounding piece, which makes sense when you consider the words she's singing (and that she's trying to get her daughter to kill somebody).

My daughter was singing that aria to herself the other day; I don't know what made it come to her mind, but it's been in mine ever since. It made this list of Top 10 Opera Songs:









2 comments:

Vivien Z said...

Diana Damrau's rendition is amazing since she's most famous for the role; check it out if you haven't! I remember learning about it and how it's particularly difficult because it hits F6 ((I *love* opera)).

Tabatha said...

Wonderful to hear from you :-) Yes, Diana Damrau is fantastic! She's got such control over her voice, she wields it! (Have you heard Florence Foster Jenkins sing the Queen of the Night aria? Hoo boy!)