The Magic Flute – Queen of the Night aria (Mozart; Diana Damrau, The Royal Opera)

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Soprano Diana Damrau sings 'Der Hölle Rache', the famous Queen of the Night aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute, with Dorothea Röschmann as Pamina.

Mozart wrote Die Zauberflöte (The Magic Flute) for a suburban theatre in Vienna, the Theater auf der Wieden. He drew on the magical spectacle and earthy comedy of popular Viennese theatre. As well as being a comedy, The Magic Flute is an expression of Mozart’s profound spiritual beliefs: Enlightenment concerns with the search for wisdom and virtue are at the heart of this enchanting tale. The Magic Flute was an instant success with audiences and Mozart’s supposed rival Salieri described it as an ‘operone’ – a great opera.

David McVicar’s classic production embraces both the seriousness and comedy of Mozart’s work. The audience is transported to a fantastical world of dancing animals, flying machines and dazzlingly starry skies. The setting provides a wonderful backdrop for Mozart’s kaleidoscopic score, from the Queen of the Night’s coloratura fireworks to Tamino and Pamina’s lyrical love duets and Papageno’s hearty, folksong-like arias.

[RoyalBalletAndOpera]

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[KingTen]

When she says "ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah,

I really felt that

[beetle]

One time in kindergarten, two of my teachers showed my class this aria. They never did that again as it resulted in an entire room full of small children screaming in an attempt to hit the high notes.

[darkdenniel]

I've been watching this video 20 times a day, every day... for almost three years. I might have a problem

[KoulourakiaAndCoffee]

As a pro ballet dancer in a different life, I can say that what impresses me most about this video of Diana Damrau is her movement quality. She really moves deliberately and slow to allow the audience to capture the scene with their eyes. Younger dancers and performers often move too fast. The voice is amazing, of course, but the total quality of her performance and movement make this over the top good.

[tanausu]

Got to be the most iconic ‘mother shouting at her daughter’ ever

[DaviSilva-ociv]

"Mom, don't be dramatic"

Mom:

[ilkkakallio]

Is this the best video on the internet? Yes! Diana Damrau achieved the absolute perfection here. How on earth could this performance ever be surpassed?

[Mike-dhur]

After all these years, I've found you again. This time I'll never forget the title.

[mrrandom]

Mozart: I've got a gig for ya.
Singer: I hope it's not too difficult.
Mozart:

[KasperMcKay]

Half-woman-half-raven asserts dominance through staccato

[joeydelilahweasleyda]

Listening to this for the millionth time ‘cause I’ll be performing this aria in August and I cannot imagine being able to make it sound anything like this.

[essenceofenglish]

Diana Damrau is the best Queen if you ask me. I have watched like 20 or so performances but non could convey the incredible "Die Königin der Nacht" like her. The best Aria ever!

[valROFL]

Mozart be like: “lol I’m not the one that’s gonna sing this”

[dnfemdrk]

Mozart: (wrote this piece) Someone's gonna sing, and that's not my business lol.

[starwalkr]

This combined aria composition by Mozart and performance by Diana Damrau is the pinnacle of human achievement.

[ayemin]

I grew up thinking this is a happy song. Never expected this

[greyes_]

The melody: 🦋🙌✨🎭🍂
The lyrics: 🕷🕸♠🏴🌚🖤💥

[patrickregh]

This scene is unsurpassed in terms of vocal drama!
Outstanding!

[greego]

Diana damrau is so good. She puts so much raw emotion into her role she's so talented!!!