I’m not going to give you a synopsis of The Magic Flute by Mozart as you’ll think I’m making it up and no one could possibly write something so silly – instead, here’s a really helpful short animated summary:
Today’s choice from The Magic Flute is not ‘The Queen of the Night Aria’, as there are two (the first is in the A level anthology). We’re listening to the second Aria she sings 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, else she will disown and curse Pamina. As you do.
The role was written for Mozart’s sister in law, Josepha Weber, who also premiered the role of Pizarro in Beethoven’s opera Fidelio. Contemporary sources say she “commanded a very high tessitura but had a rough edge to her voice and lacked stage presence”. Rude!
The Listening Project Blog 