#der holle rache

[honourablejester]

Right. Completely random interlude. My sister was trying to match a piece of music that got stuck in her head (Dance of the Nutcracker) and we went on youtube to find it, and from there we wound up watching various versions of Der Hölle Rache from The Magic Flute. As one does. And I’m just …

Okay, so we watched the famous version with Diana Damrau:

Which is incredible. And terrifying.

And then we watched this completely new-to-me Danish version with Susanne Elmark:

And the thing is, I always find different versions and performances of the same piece to be fascinating. The difference choices, the different tones different performers give it.

With these two, particularly, it’s so cool how Diana’s Queen of the Night makes those wordless sections sound like … I’m not sure there’s a non-operatic equivalent, but it’s threatening. She’s just wordlessly hammering at her daughter in this scene, using those notes to just club her daughter repeatedly around the head until she does what she wants.

Whereas Susanne’s Queen acts and makes it sound like cackling. It feels less pointed directly at her daughter and more just giddy at the thought of Sarastro’s death. Maniacal laughter.

IDK, I’m just tickled by the different interpretations of what those notes are. What the Queen is actually doing as she sings them.

Also I completely love that little staging flourish at the end of the Danish version. I mean, don’t get me wrong, Diana’s Queen storming out of the room is dramatic as all hell, but Susanne’s crossing her arms and vanishing into the floor is just perfection. ‘You’ve got your job, girl. Mother out!’

It kind of helps that, costuming-wise, she really looks like she should be a villain on Power Rangers.

Anyway. Random interlude. I’m just tickled by the acting and staging choices between versions.

[cartridgeconverter]

I don't really like Die Zauberfloete so I only listen to like three songs from it but I will say that the Met's English translation fucks severely

[ariaste]

A Discussion on Book Endings

Hey, friends. Thanks for coming today. I'm sorry to break it to you, but this is an intervention. Please, don't get defensive -- everyone here loves you and cares about you. But listen... I'm gonna need book readers and reviewers to reflect on the idea that finishing a book and going "Oh, I loved it so much, but I wish it was just a few pages longer!" is not really a valid point of negative critique in the assessment of a text.

Let me explain.

When I read people's otherwise wildly positive reviews of books and they say that line, I don't interpret it in context as, "This story needed to be a few pages longer for the plot to work, structurally, and for the ending to achieve a solid resolution." Rather, they basically seem to be saying simply, "I loved it and I didn't want it to end." That's always a GREAT feeling, but then they're.... taking points off from their total rating because of that??? They seem to be penalizing the author because they weren't left with a feeling of "Ugh, thank god it's over"? It's like, "This would have been five stars if it had had just one more chapter but it made me sad that it ended, so four stars" -- Guys, do we understand that's an insane take? It's insane. A book has to end. If you shriek "NO!!!" that it's over because you were having such a great time, that's... that's a symptom of a 5-star book, babes. I'm not sure why there's such a fashion these days for penalizing authors for this particular thing in this particular way, but it's really baffling to me.

But setting aside the puzzling trend of "I'm knocking points off because it ended when it should have gone on until I personally was fully bored and exhausted of it, like the 11th season of a TV show that was only supposed to go until season 4" -- listen, I guarantee you that nine times out of ten, when you're out here longing for just one more chapter or saying "this could have used an epilogue" you... are wishing for something that would have actively ruined your enjoyment and the quality of the book.

Are you a writer yourself? Have you ever finished writing a book before? Have you done it more than once? Have you deeply studied the endings of books? They are HARD, let me tell you what. Endings are so much harder than beginnings, because you're looking for that beautiful final note, like the ending of a symphony, and you're trying to ride it for a few glorious seconds before the FLOURISH and dum-dummmmmm....! and the conductor collapses as the audience bursts into applause! Right? Yes? Except that chances are that one more chapter or epilogue would ruin the pacing and resolution of the ending and muddle up the summary of the theme and thesis statement, and all of this WOULD ACTUALLY fuck up your experience of the story as a whole. For example, please consider the last Harry Potter book as an example. We all hate JKR now for being a TERF but oh, children, how quickly we forget that back in the olden times, we used to hate her for that fucking epilogue that made everything that came before feel rancid and pointless and hollow and cheap. Y'all remember how sickening and infuriating that was? Do you remember the Hunger Games epilogue? Nine times out of ten, that's what you're inexplicably wishing for.

To see this point illustrated, let's do a quick exercise together. Go pick out a piece of classical music -- some of my best suggestions for this are Beethoven's Ode to Joy, or "Der Holle Rache" from Mozart's Magic Flute, or Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture. Listen to it all the way through. If you're struggling with scrolling addiction and your attention span has been severely damaged, fine, listen to the last two minutes ("Der Holle Rache" is the shortest, just 3 minutes). Then, after the song is done, click back to some random spot earlier in the piece, listen to another 30 seconds, and then stop. Consider: Did adding that last 30 seconds materially improve the piece, or did it undermine the overall emotional journey? Did it help the ending to stick the landing even more than it already did, or does it just feel weirdly stuck-on as an afterthought, like the "for more fun videos, check out the rest of our channel and don't forget to subscribe!!!" card at the end of youtube videos?

When you are wishing for an epilogue, my doves, you are wishing for something you do not actually want -- or which you probably would not want if you had the option to see it in practice and compare it side by side with the original. You are wishing for something that would more than likely make the story worse. You are holding the author at fault for something being wrong with the text only because you hit immersion and were having a lot of fun and didn't want to come back up for air. Like, I'm just not sure that's something that the author should be blamed for? It sounds like they were doing their job really well???

Please, just. Separate your feelings of "bittersweet disappointment that this wonderful book is over" from "frustration that the author didn't stick the landing, ugh what a flop" because they are two separate things. Before you say "I'm taking points off because I wish there was more", please take two seconds to ask yourself critical thinking questions like, "Why did the author choose to end the book here rather than in two more chapters?" because (other than a few wild outliers that should not be counted) the answer is never, "They got bored and just didn't feel like finishing the story." Chances are, they chose that specific ending for a reason. They ended it there because that's the point that underlines the thesis statement of the book, or because the emotions of that scene are the ones they want you to remember and walk away with, or because that marks the place where the story arc is genuinely over. When the author says, "And they all lived happily ever after," that means that what happily-ever-after looks like is in your hands now.

Nine times out of ten, you don't want one more chapter. Please. I promise you that you don't want one more chapter. The book is done; what you want now is either fanfiction or someone to talk about it with. Or maybe to start the book over from the beginning! Believe me, you would not want one more chapter if you had it. (Or, if you did have it and it magically didn't suck, you would just keep wanting more chapters because that's what "really enjoying the book" means. In which case, go read fanfic, that's what it is for.) I promise you, I promise you, the book would probably be worse with one more chapter and you would not like it as much. Please stop wishing for the author to be less good at their job. Please. A book has to end; so does this post. And we all live happily ever after*. The End.

----- * The post-canon coffeeshop AU sequel will be detailed exhaustively on AO3

[saffs-music-blog]

Fantastic, Aaaaaa a a a a.

I've been stimming aaaaaa a a a a, for the past few days, lol

The English translation above and below

What are the lyrics in English?

The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart,

Death and despair flame about me!

If Sarastro does not through you feel

The pain of death,

Then you will be my daughter nevermore.

Disowned may you be forever,

Abandoned may you be forever,

Destroyed be forever

All the bonds of nature,

If not through you

Sarastro becomes pale!

Hear, Gods of Revenge,

Hear a mother’s oath!

[borathefallen]

Just imagine Agatha sitting in her living room smoking a joint while watching you clean. Soft opera is playing in the background and you're almost done cleaning. She blows out her puff of smoke and a small purple cloud of electric smoke swirls in her palm. She whispers a few words that begin to circle around you and cloud your senses. Within minutes your eyes turn purple and you stop what your doing slowly walking over to Agatha sitting down on the couch with her legs open in a very relaxed position. "mmm there we go, come to mommy kitten. You've been doing far too much work. You need a break". She purrs.

[supercantaloupe]

i realize der holle rache is like. way overdone these days as like the One aria that non opera people will know and it's practically a stereotype of opera or whatever at this point. but damn if it isn't a great number

[golvio]

I’ve got a hard time articulating why at the moment because I’m in the throes of a fresh musical infatuation, but this song beautifully encapsulates the relationship between Ganondorf and each of his horrible little rat men he collects throughout the games.

Macbeth is ambitious and hungers for power. But can he be ruthless? The path to power is treacherous. It scorns the fainthearted. I will light a fire in your cold heart. It will give you the courage to carry through your daring plan. The sisters promised you the throne. Why hesitate? Accept your good fortune and rule!

The part where Lady Macbeth starts yelling and slapping the ground as if to wake up the demons of hell to assist her husband in assassinating Duncan was pretty fantastic, too. This rapid cycling of emotions as she at once exults over the possibility of being queen, but at the same time steeling herself for the bloody deed she and her husband will have to perform to get there.

I’ve got this big playlist for this dude that includes multiple big, bombastic arias from incredibly famous soprano/alto opera roles. Stuff like the one-two punch of the Queen of the Night’s one-two punch of “O Zittre Nicht” and “Der Holle Rach,” or Tosca’s “Vissi D’arte.” (Somewhat ironically, of course. This man has hurt plenty of other living souls. It’s more like the sense of lamenting your fate, of feeling like a cosmic plaything being kicked around by the whims of the heavens.) No offense to the fellas, but it’s rare that I hear a tenor or bass truly capture the emotional energy I’m looking for when picking music for this guy. The only fellow who’s made the cut so far is Samuel Ramey in Boito’s Mephistopheles.

What I’m looking for is this huge, powerful, unstoppable monster truck juggernaut of a voice that barrels through obstacles and lays waste to all that oppose it, but at the same time possesses enough emotional control and technical skill to give it laserlike focus, delivering an absolutely electrifying performance. This isn’t yet another diva singing an aria by rote, this is the character, blasting the audience with the sheer intensity of emotion they’re experiencing up there on stage. They cast a spell upon the crowd. You’re transfixed. You can’t stop listening or bring yourself to look away. Even coughing or shifting in your seat feels like an unforgivable offense.

[montanabohemian]

#this part of der holle rache always sounds like it was written for birds anyway #so this is just as it should be <3

Listen to his song

(via)

[singingfruits]

Die Zauberflote - Der Holle Rache - Queen of the Night

Performance by Andrea Frey

[alexmascara]

Student Aria

Song of the day: Queen of the Night Aria – Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart

Today was quite an uneventful day. Our teachers decided to give us activities, and if we finished early, we were free to do whatever we pleased. For me, I chose to watch the opera entitled “Mozart’s Flute,” which was composed by Mozart. This is one of, if not my favorite opera. The music is just on another level. One song I particularly love is the Queen of the Night aria, specifically the version sung by Diana Damrau. The conviction and power of her voice sold the performance for me.

However, her acting in this performance was super underrated. I rarely hear people talk about her acting. Sure, singing the Queen of the Night aria is one thing, but being able to portray the character is a whole other level of difficulty. The whole song is about a mother who is filled with rage and vengeance, basically forcing her daughter into murdering her father. This is a very complex role to play, with layers of emotion one must carry out. On one side, you're angry and vengeful; but on the other side, you still care for your daughter.

Watching Diana Damrau's rendition of the Queen of the Night aria was a powerful experience, it highlights the intricate blend of music and acting that makes opera so enjoyable to watch. It's a reminder of the depth of the art form, and how it can stir our emotions and leave a lasting impact. Today may have been uneventful, but rewatching this performance helped entertain me and made my day better.

[lamilanomagazine]

Orchestra Filarmonica Europea - Broletto classico edizione 2023 a Gallarate

Orchestra Filarmonica Europea - Broletto classico edizione 2023 a Gallarate. Domenica 18 maggio alle 21 presso il cortile di palazzo broletto a Gallarate in via Cavour 2 la sezione giovanile dell' orchestra filarmonica europea inaugura la terza edizione della rassegna di concerti. Il cortile dell' antico palazzo in un auditorium verrà trasformato in un luogo incantato grazie all' acustica eccezionale e a un'ambientazione resa particolarmente suggestiva dalla visuale a cielo aperto. Per i giovani e giovanissimi componenti (dai 14 ai 20 anni,) si tratta di uno degli eventi conclusivi dell' anno scolastico appena terminato. Il programma dell'evento: Prima Parte, J.S.Bach dal Concerto per cembalo e orchestra BWV 1056 : primo e secondo movimento ( Allegro – Adagio) Pianista: Marcello Pennuto Direttore: Daniele Pennuto J.S.Bach dalla Passione secondo Matteo BWV 244 "Blute nur" Soprano: Erika Rezzonico (1) L.van Beethoven: dalla Sinfonia n. 1 in Do magg. op. 21: primo, secondo, terzo movimento (Adagio molto – Allegro con brio – Andante cantabile con moto - Menuetto ) Intervallo. Seconda Parte, W.A.Mozart da Nozze di Figaro : n. 1 Duettino "Cinque , dieci, venti" Soprano: Erika Rezzonico Baritono: Marco Pangallo (2) W.A.Mozart dalla Sinfonia K 297 "Pariser" : 3° movimento (Allegro) W.A.Mozart da Nozze di Figaro: n. 3 "Se vuol Ballare" W.A.Mozart da Nozze di Figaro n. 16 Duetto "Crudele perche' finora" W.A.Mozart da Flauto magico: Ouverture Aria n. 14 "Der Holle Rache" Soprano: Youn Seohyun (3) L.van Beethoven Concerto n. 3 per pianoforte e orchestra : primo movimento (Allegro con brio ) Pianista: Marcello Pennuto Direttore: Daniele Pennuto (1) Allieva Conservatorio Cantelli di Novara (2) Laureato Conservatorio Verdi di Milano (3) Allieva Conservatorio Verdi Milano I solisti, giovanissimi cantanti, stanno iniziando a presentarsi in pubblico con orchestra e provengono dai Conservatori di Novara e Milano. In particolare la coreana Youn , allieva del Conservatorio di Milano, si cimentera' con la terribile aria della Regina della notte. Della sinfonia n 1 Beethoven l orchestra eseguirà ' per la prima volta tre movimenti dei quattro totali: indicativamente dopo un lavoro di tre anni; tratta di un traguardo raggiunto dopo tante fatiche e vicissitudini. Anche il brano di apertura, concerto di Bach BWV 1056 per cembalo e orchestra, viene eseguito per la prima volta in pubblico. Questo concerto di Bach cosi' come il brano di chiusura ( 3 ° concerto Beethoven) vedranno il maestro Pennuto al pianoforte e il figlio Daniele alla direzione. Il concerto e' patrocinato dall'Assessorato alle attivita' formative ed è ad ingresso libero.  ... #notizie #news #breakingnews #cronaca #politica #eventi #sport #moda Read the full article

[newyorkcitywater]

16 for the music ask game?

oh this is actually kind of hard…either der holle rache from the magic flute (which one of my friends sang and absolutely KILLED it) or satie’s gnossienne no. 1. or maybe chopin’s nocturnes op. 9 no. 2

[oh-great-authoress]

This is:

“Der Holle Rache”

“O zittre nicht”

“Luce di quest’anima”

“Les oiseaux dans las charmilles”

“Où va la jeune Indoue”

“Volta la terrea”

“Chacun le sait”

“Caro nome”

“Ebben? Ne andrò lontano”

“Vissi d’arte”

“Follie!...Follie!... Delirio vano e questo… Sempre libera”

“Quando m’en vo”

“Un bel di”

“Una voce poco fa”

“Non più mesta”

“L’amour est un oiseaux rebelles”

“Près des ramparts des Séville”

“Nessun dorma”

“E lucevan le stelle”

“M’appari”

“Una furtiva lagrima”

“Pour mon âmes, quel destin”

“Di quella pira”

“Il balen del suo sorriso”

Erasure!

Been a while since I made opera memes, innit

[cjbolan]

Remind You of Anyone?