Queen of the night

[franz65]

There are so many beautiful performances of the aria from Magic Flute - Queen of the nigth.
I saw lately on ytb Diana Damrau in the role of the Queen - amazing!
I'm a beginner in the matter of opera, so I hope you don't mind, if I make mistakes in judging singers, that performed Queen of the night,
but I found her performance very interesting and emotional
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMPv8mADpA4

[knight66]

It is very good indeed. I am not that fond of Danrau, but this is technically excellent and expressive singing. The upload sound is rough, but that is not the fault of the musicians. It is at a lower tuning than has been traditional for some time. My favourite is Lucia Popp. Here you will hear a brighter sound, it is slightly higher.

Ignore the illustration on Youtube, it is Maria Callas....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R7naUZ8BHdM

Mike

[Guido]

Yes I love Lucia Popp too. A far better produced sound than Damrau, though I agree that this is one of Damrau's strongest performances. I still find with Damrau the bulgeyness on individual notes and sometimes very wide vibrato in the upper middle and upper voice rather ugly.

Once I heard on the radio a recording almost as perfect Popp's but more rawly emotional - never sounded so furious - but I never found out who it was... Have been hoping to come across it again for a while.

[Marc]

Yes I love Lucia Popp too. A far better produced sound than Damrau, though I agree that this is one of Damrau's strongest performances. I still find with Damrau the bulgeyness on individual notes and sometimes very wide vibrato in the upper middle and upper voice rather ugly.

Once I heard on the radio a recording almost as perfect Popp's but more rawly emotional - never sounded so furious - but I never found out who it was... Have been hoping to come across it again for a while.

Edita Gruberová?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhoFfNS36yA

[Guido]

Edita Gruberová?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhoFfNS36yA

No, not her. Made me laugh when she stuck out her tongue for the top Fs! I've never seen such a blank facial expression whilst singing ever!

[Marc]

No, not her. Made me laugh when she stuck out her tongue for the top Fs! I've never seen such a blank facial expression whilst singing ever!

From my singing lessons (long time ago) I learned that letting yer tongue hang out is a very good technique to relieve the tongue tension, to keep the jaw muscles relaxed, and to open your mouth freely in order to let the beauty come out.

(Of course I am referring to the beauty of my vowels. )

Luckilly I was singing in a choir and nobody paid attention to me whilst performing, because of all those breathtaking beautiful sopranos and altos in front of me.

[franz65]

Oh! Yes yes Lucia Popp's performance is really clean and precise - but isn't she a little bit slower than other ones? I mean for exaple Christina Deutekom.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qmyWC38HVI
I don't know if I hear it correctly - but that's my impression.
I did'nt also meant to lessen Popp's aria.

[knight66]

Well, the conductor is Klemperer and he never was exactly speedy. I have heard a version from the 78 era where the soprano uses the aria as a jumping off point to add fistfuls of high wire notes and yap like a poodle in pain. It was extremely funny, I guess that in the 1920s there was less adherence to the score and the flip side of the disc was probably some folk song or other about fairies' shoes.

Mike

[Marc]

Well, the conductor is Klemperer and he never was exactly speedy.

And then, suddenly, Klemperer was speedy, f.i. Mahler 2 first movement.

But yes, the tempi in this recording were Klemperer's choice and despite his tendency to be slow, his pacing rarely dragged. This particular Zauberflöte is still one of my faves; noble and well phrased, with an exceptional cast, even though it's a shame Klemperer decided to eliminate the spoken dialog.

[knight66]

I have at least half a dozen versions and it is the one I play almost always. He misses the sparkle, but as you say, he does not drag.

Mike

[kishnevi]

Well, the conductor is Klemperer and he never was exactly speedy. I have heard a version from the 78 era where the soprano uses the aria as a jumping off point to add fistfuls of high wire notes and yap like a poodle in pain. It was extremely funny, I guess that in the 1920s there was less adherence to the score and the flip side of the disc was probably some folk song or other about fairies' shoes.

Mike

Are you sure that wasn't Florence Foster Jenkins?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Florence_Foster_Jenkins
contains a clip of her performance of Der Holle Rache
WARNING: I will take no responsibility for damaged ears if you actually listen to it.

My current favorite recording is probably the Abbado version.  The Jacobs recording is well performed, and interesting in that it tries to emphasize the dialogue elements more than usual--not just something to be gotten through on the way to the next musical number.

[knight66]

No, I have Flo in full flow. It was someone with a formidable technique and no taste. I also recall she suddenly speeded up at certain stratospheric points. It might have been on the first volume of The EMI Record of Singing.

I very much enjoy the Abbado version, the recits are especially well done. Not too keen on the Queen on that one despite her reputation in the part; too soft centred.

Mike

[val]

Two suggestions:   Erna Berger with Beecham, Rita Streich with Fricsay.     

[Xenophanes]

There are so many beautiful performances of the aria from Magic Flute - Queen of the nigth.
I saw lately on ytb Diana Damrau in the role of the Queen - amazing!
I'm a beginner in the matter of opera, so I hope you don't mind, if I make mistakes in judging singers, that performed Queen of the night,
but I found her performance very interesting and emotional
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMPv8mADpA4

That was a studio performance. Now, if you really want to hear Diana Damrau in an absolutely stunning performance, this is from the DVD, I gather. All I can say, is WOW! Awe inspiring!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DvuKxL4LOqc&feature=related

Edda Moser did the aria with at least equal in intensity. I listened to a couple and again I say WOW:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aLwKnFBnATo&feature=endscreen&NR=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZFJiczQZwhY

There are a number of other really good ones--but let's face it, any soprano that can sing it properly has to be awfully good.   Lucia Popp is not as dramatic, though I agree it's fabulous vocally. Edita Gruberova is a great soprano, but Damrau is a far greater actress. Joan Sutherland was good, too. Christina Deutekom did a fabulous recording.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qmyWC38HVI

Here's a compilation of 8 sopranos doing the highest sections.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bzf9aN1toG0

[franz65]

I enjoyed the compilation of sopranos 
The performance of Damrau is indeed great, I also saw it, and to be honest I wanted to paste link to it but I have chosen the recording, it was more diverse and personal maybe.. But nevertheless , the opera is also about acting:)

[mjwal]

How about Wilma Lipp? She sings the role in two recordings - either Böhm/VPO 1955 (with Güden,Simoneau, Berry, Böhme) or (which I slightly prefer) Keilberth/WDR (with Stich-Randall, Schock, Greindl, Hotter as Speaker!), a radio production with a narrator instead of dialogue, but hey, Walhall CDs are cheap, if all too transient. The real problem with Zauberflöte is the Sarastro - I have not heard a singer who has pleased me in this role since Alexander Kipnis: perhaps someone has a modern suggestion?

[MariaCallasFan]

 ;)i HAVE ALSO HEAR NATALIE DESSAY IN THIS ROLE AND SHE WAS VERY GOOD

[val]

My favorites singing the Queen of the Night:  Erna Berger in the version of Thomas Beecham, Rita Streich (Fricsay's version) and Lucia Popp (Klemperer). Lucia Popp was also a very nice Pamina with Haitink.
But Rita Streich is my absolute favorite.

[betterthanfine]

Ah, this seems like a good topic for my debut on this forum. Hello everyone!

Let me join in on the Klemperer love. His Zauberflöte, while indeed fairly slow at points (Bei Männer almost drags, but the gorgeous singing saves it) is my favourite out of the full recordings I've heard. Walter Berry is a great Papageno and Popp as the Queen is magnificent, her high notes ring clear as a bell.

Damrau's performance rivals Edda Moser's for dramatic intensity, but she messes with the vowels in places. Nonetheless one of the greatest Queens I've ever heard, as is Moser.

Also, this might be controversial and, being Dutch, very unpatriotic of me, but I cannot stand Deutekom. What is with that warbling!? I also find her a little flat when it comes to interpretation. Beautiful sound though.

Rita Streich with Fricsay.     

Off to listen to this now!

[val]

mjwal
The real problem with Zauberflöte is the Sarastro - I have not heard a singer who has pleased me in this role since Alexander Kipnis: perhaps someone has a modern suggestion?

There are good interpreters of Sarastro. Franz Crass (with Böhm, and the best Tamino, Wunderlich), Josef Greindl (with Fricsay, Häfliger and Streich), Marti Talvela (with Solti and one of the best Papagenos, Prey). Greindl also recorded this opera with Furtwängler (and the sublime Irmgard Seefried). But I agree with you: Kipnis is unique.