The Magic Flute- Queen of the Night Aria (Mozart; Diana Damrau, The Royal Opera) (REACTION)

[@TacetPotentia]

Diana isn't just singing this aria, and she doesn't just play the Queen. She rather owns the whole stage, really becoming the Queen, getting into her role and making it her own. You couldn't get your eyes off even if you wanted. Her Queen is incomparable.

[@museysmoderndreadfuls]

💯

[@manxkin]

Diana Damrau IS the Queen of the Night. Best production ever.

[@lkayh]

This is such an amazing piece, and Damrau just crushes it-her staccati are like poisoned arrows-painfully sharp, deadly and still beautiful.

[@ubierin4797]

The Queen of the Night’s second aria in Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute, “Hell’s vengeance boils in my heart,” requires several notes above c3, the highest being f3.

[@edwardthorne9875]

Love the willingness to swtch up genres, and pay respect to great music! Super-human voice and control.

[@markmaxwell1013]

Strongly agree! Justin doesn't do pay for play from his patrons. It is just his instinct and faith in his subscribers comments. The only channel I check everyday!

[@Fuliginosus]

Diana Damrau is my fave Queen of the Night.

[@museysmoderndreadfuls]

🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉 HERE too, and I'm a professional actress. Her acting alone is a thing of beauty, and though I sing some, I have nowhere near the training to do Opera, and stick to things like "Les Mis" for vocal challenge. All hail the Queen 👑 !

[@museysmoderndreadfuls]

BTW, "The guy" The Queen wants Pamina to off, is Pamina's OWN "Father". I'm an actress myself. I CAN NOT do opera, so I also have to point out that The Queen is eating up this song, but she really brings her acting chops to this part. It's insane!

[@chrisholland6052]

I call Damrau's performance of this aria 'a moment of perfection'. Her voice control is superhuman when hitting those notes.

[@pepitogrillo8263]

She is mediocre. I'm beeing polite

[@ansonidiaz728]

@@chrisholland6052 she's German, so the language wasn't a problem at all... In addition, she's a light liryc coloratura soprano so... Perfect combination! 😝

[@Vanchy58]

I believe Diana Damrau is the alien girl in the 5th element movie ha ha ha

[@manualboyca]

This is the only Opera I’ve ever seen, and it was done in a modern style, with a white backdrop showing animated backgrounds for the actors. It was awesome!

[@barriehull7076]

Damrau was born in Günzburg, Bavaria on 31 May 1971. She was inspired to become an opera singer after watching Zeffirelli's 1983 film of La traviata, which featured Plácido Domingo and Teresa Stratas.[1] She began her operatic studies with Carmen Hanganu [de] at the Hochschule für Musik Würzburg. During her studies, she developed an edema on a vocal cord.[2][3] After consulting with several doctors, she decided to undergo an alternative therapy without surgery. The treatment lasted about one and a half years.[4] After graduating from music conservatory she worked in Salzburg with Hanna Ludwig. Wikipedia.

[@TonyM1961]

This is considered to be the most difficult opera yet she owns it. Not only is she singing, she is moving around the stage. Do you have any idea of how difficult it is to walk AND stay on pitch, let alone perfect pitch? Most women sort of stand to the side and sing it while stationary. She is the very best at this that I have ever heard. The story goes that Mozart wrote this as a means to spite the original singer, his sister in law

[@parissimons6385]

Justin, good for you for daring to venture again into opera. Sounds like you got what you could from your experience hearing and seeing this wonderful performance. Amazing how people can train to sing like that - no amplification, and hitting incredible notes while acting, too! The story goes that Mozart must have been annoyed with the soprano for whom he wrote this part. Having to come onstage without a scene to warm up and be expected to hit all these ridiculous high notes is INSANE! Btw, in the opera's plot, the Queen of the Night is Pamina's mother, and it turns out that Sarastro, associated with the sun, is her father. Symbolism, anyone?? After all, this is the work in which it was said that Mozart dared to reveal some of the mysteries of the Freemasons. Diana Damrau is one of my current fave sopranos. And this looks like a gorgeous production at the RoH. My intro to enjoying The Magic Flute was through a TV/film version I saw at a movie theatre, directed by Swedish auteur Ingmar Bergman, back when I was a teenager (in the mid-1970s). That film version is still around care of the Criterion Collection, if you're interested. And if you want to hear and see a ravishing trio taken from another Mozart opera with a very different plot (Cosi fan tutte), I'd suggest you watch and listen to this: "Soave sia il vento" kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5CTd3uve5iDr80

[@frugalseverin2282]

Last year I got to see this opera in a movie theater broadcast by the Met. I've seen most of the big ones but no Wagner other than on recordings. What made me an opera fan was the film "Amadeus". It's fantastic, you get to see snippets of several operas as well as other purely instrumental pieces. The character Salieri points out what makes some of them so unique. You'll also appreciate the costumes and performances of everyone involved, F. Murry Abraham won an Oscar for his performance.

[@georgedavis-stewart4225]

Exquisite application of technique and vocal skill to meet the challenge of the part written by Mozart. As an art form or as a spectacle, opera is not for the faint-hearted, but frequently the music itself transcends reservations about other production elements or elitism.

[@jfergs.3302]

A really well known piece from the opera, brilliantly performed. As for everything else, think you pretty much said it all JP. I've listened to a few, but never seen one live. Comparable to the ballet (of which I've seen numerous) I imagine, re the lavishness of the production, sets, costume, styling etc. The ballets I've seen were pretty spectacular. Maybe it's time I lost my Opera cherry, so to speak.

[@-davidolivares]

As Dieter would say: I feel like a little girl…” “ now we dance”. Haven’t been, I know I would love it.

[@jfergs.3302]

@@-davidolivares Well get yourself along there, you don't know till you try it. Oh, and if you see Dieter, ask him to pass on my regards to Ralph and Florian :)

[@-davidolivares]

@@jfergs.3302 Speaking SNL but nice comeback.

[@jfergs.3302]

@@-davidolivares Oh I know, Mike Myers etc. But I thought there was enough crossover re the German thing, and Craig Ferguson's whole Kraftwerk schtick. Funny stuff, still.

[@G02372]

Impossible unless you witnessed it ❤

[@jaybird4093]

If you haven’t already, watch your DVD of Amadeus. This aria is in it. The Lyric Opera of Chicago used to offer $3 tickets to the students in my music department. The seats were decent, too. I saw The Magic Flute and La Traviata among others.

[@ansonidiaz728]

There's another aria as difficult as this one in the same opera called "O Zittre Nitch" sang by thr soprano...

[@dawntibbs4859]

Loved it. Thank you.

[@soundofnellody262]

Diana Damrau is such a nice person in real life. This is sung in german..and I even understand most of it lol

[@RaymondHng]

Listen to Cristina Deutekom's version of the Queen of the Night especially her amazing glottal stops during the triplet passage. She's the gold standard.

[@RaymondHng]

It can be watched at kzbin.info/www/bejne/j4LThXqBjaarp6M

[@johnnie1529]

I need to know where your accent is from, because I can understand almost everything you say! I study English, and I have a lot of difficulty understanding some accents, but yours is perfect! I'm Brazilian! By the way, I love opera! Look for a Brazilian singer, who now lives in Germany, his name is Edson Cordeiro and he sings this aria! Yes, a man sings this aria, from "The Queen of the Night"! He's a countertenor!

[@JustJP]

Thanks so much Johnnie! I'm from Florida, born in New York with Jamaican heritage. Hope that helps!

[@blitztim6416]

Dude looked like Klaus Nomi. I've seen a ballet, but never an opera. I think I would enjoy it.

[@Hartlor_Tayley]

Incredible.

[@GareksApprentice]

Back when music was real. No effects, no electricity, no amplification. Just pure vocal cords and acoustic instruments. Unlike the last 90 years of "music" or whatever it's called. It was all downhill after the invention of the electric guitar 😋

[@garypowell1540]

This also has a prophetic side to it. This makes it even more scary with hindsight. She represents the Empress of Austrian Hungary and her daughter the people. She is cursing her own people for choosing enlightenment represented by the wisdom of Sarastro rather than the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church. The people were certainly cursed from that time onwards as history informs us. Some say that the curse was finally lifted on the 30th of April 1945.

[@gaiaeternal5131]

Hi Justin. Dave from London, on this Summer Night. Like you, I'm not too familiar with opera. I have been to the Royal Opera House once for the The Fiery Angel by Prokofiev (my favourite classical composer). Yes, great sets & costumes and the world's top singers but the ticket prices are ridiculous! A more affordable option in London is the English National Opera, and I have seen a few Russian operas there - there's a more gothic feel to them, but plenty of beauty and drama too. P.S. my song ref Summer Night is a suite from another Prokofiev opera Duenna.

[@henriknilsson1565]

Great to see you react to some opera! Go on with that! Or why not Carmia Burana?

[@stanleynykaza9042]

Yes Please do something from the movie Amadeus (Mozart’s ,,, or THE MARRAIGE OF FIGARO opera by Mozart

[@arlocristofaro4653]

Love this! big fan of the channel, do you think you could make a video about Donald Gagne’s Green Flower Street? love the content keep it up!

[@HippoYnYGlaw]

I fell asleep during an open air La Traviata performance in Milan. I have also walked out of a del Amitri gig, utterly dismayed at the futility of life. Thankfully, optimism gets the better of me in the majority of occasions. This? It reminds me of 2 films where operatic segments are used to great effect: The Fifth Element & Shine - both essential entertainment for yer jp plus channel Justin?

[@clintmaffett2570]

huh?

[@rk41gator]

She is right out of Disney and the evil Queen Maleficent!

[@forrest_lump]

Original title "Die Zauberflöte" 😉 by Mozart. 🇩🇪

[@gilliangallagher1918]

There is no microphone!!

[@andipipo]

If you liked this aria, check out this one: kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKawaZdqq8h6m8U

[@maruad7577]

Like sumo and ballet, although I can respect the medium, artistry and skill, it never seems to work for me. It is really is me, not you but I am happy for your joy and pleasure. edited to add, you should listen to Falco's Amadeus which is about Mozart.

[@Nidels]

There are really very few good sopranos who can sing this aria with the necessary fluency. That is why it is considered one of the most difficult scores to be performed live. There is another scene in the magic flute that you would love "Papagena and Papageno" Greetings and by the way, when will you continue with Gustav Holst's The Planets? Jupiter is brutal.

[@desperateambrose5373]

She is my absolute favorite soprano! The control! The precision! The articulation!

[@helenchelmicka7894]

Ah love Jupiter!

[@catherinenoble8091]

It never fails to amaze me how opera singers can reach and sustain those notes while rushing around a stage or crawling over bits of furniture. Brilliant, this is my favourite opera aria! :-)

[@JustJP]

Its amazing isn't it Catherine? :D

[@neilanyon4792]

I think the way Diana Damrau matches her facial expression to the singing is unparalleled. It's almost possible to see the venom projecting from her mouth!

[@1996vivian]

At many points during her singing you can't tell her voice between the flute. That is a mark of perfection!

[@desperateambrose5373]

Thank you for acknowledging the contributions of the costume and makeup people. This woman looks SCARY!

[@norieh1216]

A BIG shout out to Mozart. Without him there’d be no Magic Flute & DD wouldn’t perform all this.

[@manualboyca]

Have you ever seen the movie Amadeus (Mozart’s middle name)? It’s one of my favorite movies - worth checking out.

[@lemming9984]

I watched The Director's Cut again last week. It stands up to many views.

[@manualboyca]

@@lemming9984 I watched the original theatrical version SO MANY TIMES when I was growing up, I knew it by heart. I felt the Director's Cut was a little too long. But, it may just be my bias because I'm so familiar with the original. I think Justin would really enjoy it - it's genuinely funny at times, frightening at times, and the soundtrack is brilliant.

[@rabrab3]

This is the penultimate aria performance. Please check out Lakkme's Flower Duet performance by Dame Joan Sutherland and

[@brianfuller757]

Diana Damrau is the Queen of the Night. Few sopranos even try this insanely difficult aria but of those, she owns it. And remember that opera is musical theatre. Watch her face. She is the Queen of The Night.

[@bobholtzmann]

I remember seeing this opera on TV from a performance conducted by James Levine at Salzburg's outdoor theatre (that was used as a film scene in The Sound Of Music). The casual festival atmosphere makes the opera even more enjoyable.

[@ZENOBlAmusic]

Awesome reaction! Coloratura Soprano is one of the most difficult and the highest Soprano parts. You should check out Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe doing Barcelona, it is a great bridge between between contemporary music and opera. Montserrat Caballe had one of the most beautiful Soprano voices. Mozart wrote this part for his sister in law, in order to fail, he made it difficult on purpose. lol

[@LynneConnolly]

I love opera, and in some of the big houses you even get the libretto running on a strip above the stage! Mozart wrote this especially for his sister in law, a noted soprano in her day, because he knew she could do it. There are so many great operas, great moments, great arias, and the Royal Opera House is killing it right now. Bryn Terfel's Te Deum from Tosca is another good one. He's making dastardly plans while there's a religious ritual going on.

[@museysmoderndreadfuls]

She is the best queen of the Night I've heard, because I fell down a rabbit hole and tried to find "the best performance of this song live/ or recording" Listen again, I don't speak German either, but you can pick up many phrases. Happy HOTD S2 day... Of and Father's day, ( if you're a Father)

[@sianne79]

FYI she was not wearing a mic

[@NancyPollyCy]

I love watching reaction videos - it's the teacher in me responding to someone making a new and exciting discovery. Yours was fantastic, not only for the emotional reaction, but because of the analytical and perceptive nature of your comments. Bravo to you, and of course Brava to the incomparable Damrau.

[@JustJP]

Thank you so much Nancy! I appreciate you watching and enjoying :) Have a lovely weekend

[@toakreon]

I remember watching an interview with a young, operatic soprano (I can't remember who) who had sung the role of Pamina in a major production of the Magic Flute. She mentioned how strange it felt being on stage, and being savagely bullied and berated by a fellow artist who, off stage, was an utterly delightful colleague she drank coffee and laughed with.

[@antoineduchamp4931]

When you are in the Opera house listening to the Magic Flute..... when this aria comes up, the audience are all tense on the edge of their seats...they are aware of the great danger for the singer, in that the notes she has to hit are massively high. Mozart leads the singer up higher and higher and then she has to make a leap to the highest notes that a lady singer can get to.... when it is over the audience breathes a sign of relief. I have seen it buggered up.. and it is not a great thing to see! (PS I could if you wish.... help you with your German pronounciation!)

[@littlemouse7066]

I'ts not only training it's talent too.

[@mudpiemudpie785]

Damrau's performance here is the BEST Queen of The Night I've ever experienced. Absolutely astounding. I can't imagine how wonderful it would have been to experience that live when performed.

[@radone5896]

I broke up with my singer girlfriend who used to be able to sing this, a little sad now.

[@Alix777.]

No subtitles...opera is theater with characters and dialogues...

[@Ziad3195]

What are talking about? I don't understand this comment.

[@xymonau2468]

I have always loved this particular performance, including the costumes. There are perhaps two other singers who can do this as well and with less apparent effort, but Diana is a top notch performer.

[@andrewwadage]

Loved your articulate and informed reaction to this masterpiece. Thank you!

[@PartTimeSarah2]

That production is what made me fall in love with opera. The whole show is AMAZING, but my favorite singer is Simon Keenlyside as Papageno. DEFINITELY worth checking his songs out (and the whole show)!

[@KittenWAW]

I'm surprised that the wiki didn't specify that the man the queen his putting a hit on, is also her daughter's father. Yeah. "Honey, go kill Daddy, or pack your bags. 'Kay?" As scary as The Queen is, check out her ladies (henchladies?) in waiting, and pay them their props. Their faces are full of malice and intensely focused, and one of them has linebacker shoulders! I wouldn't want to go up against them. I've always felt like the staccato notes are hysterical laughter breaking out during her tirade, similar to Frank Gorshin's cackling as the Riddler on the old Batman series.

[@Alix777.]

Damrau is a nightingale beside Edda Moser, the Queen of the Night for eternity

[@andrewcbacalakis8326]

Hi Justin, been watching your reactions for a while now- I love that your delving into some classical. I am a Gen Xer, grew up loving mostly Classic and Prog Rock- Genesis is my all time fave...after that would be Zeppelin, Floyd, Yes, the Who, CSN, Joni MItchell, etc.... I love ALL music- I sing in a community Chorus- we sing Jazz, Pop & Rock Show tunes, and Classical masterworks... There are 2 Choral masterpieces that are SO worthy of your attention- whether or not you choose to react to these of course is up to you, but someone with your understanding of music should not miss these two EPIC works: Both by early 20th century composers- You are probably already aware of Gustav Holst who's known for "The Planets"... (Jupiter is most recognizable and just ethereal and esoteric. The other is Ralph Vaughan Williams who I'll start with. RVW's "The Sea Symphony" is a phenomenal piece- He took poetry by Walt Whitman and composed a work in 4 movements that is beyond metaphysical... #3 "Scherzo- The Waves" astonishes as you listen to lyrics that match the music sounding like Ocean Waves and the majesty of giant ships cruising the ocean... #2 "On The Beach at Night Alone" is so profound, and gives the feeling of gentle waves lapping up on the shore with the moons bright reflection on the water. Holst wrote "The Cloud Messenger" around the same time ( i think in the 19 teens or '20s...) It is an ancient Sanskrit poem (translated to English) which tells the story of a prisoner who requests that a mighty cloud send a message to his Lover en route, crossing the plains of India and the Himalayas, refreshing dried up streams and sun beaten workers with it's rain along the way... again, the way that these two composers have the ability to make the music literally sound like the image that the lyrics convey is absolutely astonishing... (Think about the end of Firth of Fifth how Tony Banks' piano sounds like the river making it's way etc.... Alright, I think I've said enough... Stay well, and enjoy all the great music! Andrew, Hawthorne, NJ

[@Markus-ov9wh]

Great video! It's great that you are featuring classical music and opera. The late great Swedish film maker, Ingmar Bergman, made this into a film. I highly recommend it. It's available on DVD.

[@amarillagriffin7427]

React to madam butterfly the film is on KZbin the aria where the actress is singing on a high hill it's heartbreaking.😊

[@Klaus-bn5yb]

Luciana Serra is better

[@MisterWondrous]

That was as music to my ears. Well actually that WAS music itself, what am I thinking?? No, the number was 34. That resolved let me drop this delicious morsel upon your most excellent sweettable. It is a most charmingly sumptuous gem of the cinema, by Meister Ingmar Bergman, who set the opera to film. As I recall, it is pure sweetness and light. Mind you, it was circa '82, when, in a converted barn near Harvard Square that was upcycled into an art house movie palace, I first and only laid eye and ear upon it, so it may actually suck, and badly, but I don't think so. I think you would enjoy every bit of it. What a voice that woman today had! Thanks again. ~David of Charlotte

[@thomassharmer7127]

I"m not typically fond of operatic voice production, nor generally of Mozart, but I absolutely recognise the skill and achievement of this. Opera is best for me as edited highlights like this

[@sicko_the_ew]

We were taught about this by a guy called Skull when I was a kid. (I don't know why his mom called him Skull. Yes, he was bald, but that would've only happened many years into his teaching career, surely?) Anyway, from what I can remember, "coloratura" means what it sounds like, as far as literal meaning goes: Colourful. (What??? Sorry. Gotta talk to my spell checker again, claiming that colour is not correct. And yet spellchecker is?? Get thee hence, foul varlet!!) An ordinary soprano doesn't have those extra "hues" to her voice. (As for pronunciation, I think the best advice would be to ask a Colombian next time you meet one?) Hmm ... now I'm remembering Skull. Nice guy. Never thrashed us, for instance, or sent us to be thrashed by someone who didn't mind doing so. Tried his best to get us to appreciate some wonderful music, but we were swine to feed those pearls to. What a job! One thing Skull could do wonderfully was play the organ. The real organ. Our chapel had a proper organ. With pipes and things. And three manuals (which Skull taught us to be able to identify.) Every morning you had to go and do church stuff, but when you walked in there would be Bach or Handel or ... it was nice music, OK? ... playing before the lesson of the day was droned at us. I don't remember Skull trying that hard to get us to listen to opera. I suppose experience had taught him that was a bad kind of pearl to feed swine on. His big thing was jazz. In the War he had played jazz somewhere. Opera was my dad's favourite. (Bloody spel chekr). I hated it, and my little brother would go and curl up right next to the speaker to get as much of it into his ears as he possibly could. On Sunday there was opera in the house, it was loud, and me and the dog suffered, while everyone else seemed happy.

[@jackal59]

For a much different but equally impressive aria, listen to Mary Stuart's prayer as she faces death in Donizetti's _Maria Stuarda_ . A particularly fine performance by Mariella Devia is at kzbin.info/www/bejne/hpDccniqe5ypiK8. Or, for more Mozart, the finale to _Don Giovanni_ sung by Samuel Ramey and Kurt Moll (hitting a low D that's nearly subsonic!) in a hell of a dramatic staging at the NY Met: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6DGaqaef8aSoqs

[@ludovicligot8642]

So wonderful ! Incredible voice and costumes indeed ! Here is the link for another incredible thing : this "Queen of the Night aria" played on a theremin by Carolina Eyck. She's German and maybe the most talented thereminist in the world (she created her own method and wrote a book about it when she was only 18 years old). kzbin.info/www/bejne/amicZYSCidt7mrM

[@minmodulation]

I remember this scene from The 5th Element

[@cellevangiel5973]

In its time it was specified as an opera buffo, so a joke. It doesn't have a dramatic story but beautiful arias. And this one is a pure masterpiece from both, Mozart and the singer.

[@aerynoftalyn1307]

Thank you thank you, to whoever requested this from Justin.

[@jimwise4307]

I always watch this without the subtitles, cause at the end, all I can think is "that was a read."

[@jeannewynne9725]

Mozart really got sopranos.

[@aradia1379]

I think you meant "really liked to punish" =)

[@jeannewynne9725]

@@aradia1379 LOL, you're right. I studied voice a million years ago, and my coach used that aria as a warm-up exercise. It sounded good only in my own head!

[@royj.mattice]

Very nice reaction! I like that you looked the details on it on Wikipedia before diving into the video. I don't know how you do your requests, but there is a male bass opera singer who has done a cover of himself singing the Game of Thrones Main Theme! His name is Peter Barber. You should check it out!

[@JustJP]

Thank you Roy!

[@-davidolivares]

Really dug this, a little sad it ended.

[@markspooner1224]

When my daughter was very young I got her to sing those high parts but that's no longer possible. There's a video on here of Erika Miklosa singing this and her eyes are scary!

[@pentagrammaton6793]

Although I am a fan of classical music I'm not impressed by most opera, but it has its moments and this is one of them.

[@alnitak208]

Edda Moser is even more impressive in this part.

[@Alix777.]

Of course but American philistines only know this video...Damrau is just average