Diana Damrau, “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” (2003 [1791]) Music: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Libretto: Emanuel Schikaneder Conductor: Sir Colin Davis “Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen” (“Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart”) is the second aria sung by the Queen of the Night, a soprano coloratura part, in Mozart’s opera “Die Zauberflöte” (“The Magic Flute”). The opera premiered in 1791 at Schikaneder’s theater, the Freihaus-Theater auf der Wieden in Vienna. The aria “Der Hölle Rache” is considered to be one of the most famous opera arias, highly memorable, fast paced and menacingly grandiose. It is often referred to as the Queen of the Night Aria despite the fact that the Queen of the Night character sings another distinguished aria earlier in the opera (“O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn”). The aria forms part of the second act of the opera. It depicts a fit of vengeful rage, in which the Queen of the Night places a knife into the hand of her daughter Pamina and exhorts her to assassinate Sarastro, the Queen’s rival, on pain of denying and cursing Pamina if she does not comply. The lyrics were written by Mozart’s friend Emanuel Schikaneder, who also played Papageno in the first performances. The aria is widely renowned for being a demanding piece to perform well. The aria’s vocal range covers two octaves, from F4 to F6 and requires a very high tessitura. The first singer to perform the aria on stage was Mozart’s sister-in-law Josepha Hofer, who at the time was 33. By all accounts, Hofer had an extraordinary upper register and an agile voice and apparently Mozart, being familiar with Hofer’s vocal ability, wrote the two blockbuster arias to showcase it. In this video, Diana Damrau, a German soprano opera singer, is performing the aria outstandingly! (with Dorothea Röschmann as Pamina) The internationally renowned Mozart interpreter Sir Colin Davis conducts the chorus and orchestra of the Royal Opera House and a glittering cast in David McVicar’s 2003 production of Mozart’s last opera, recorded live at the Royal Opera House Covent Garden in London.
Posted on: Wed, 02 Oct 2013 20:35:51 +0000
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