![]() Jan: I've never laughed as much writing a book as I have writing about Mozart. That is where I would put this aria for the Queen of the Night. Rhiannon: A musicologist at Harvard who's written several books on opera.Ĭarolyn: The old definition of 'sublime' was it's something that's both beautiful and frightening. We also have Carolyn Abbate.Ĭarolyn: There's a difference between beautiful and sublime. Rhiannon: She's one of the most sought-after queens of the night in the world. I kept joking around with everybody, "I hope that she doesn't understand German," because this text is pretty harsh. Kathryn: I remember singing this role a bunch of times when I was pregnant with her and suddenly it took on this new meaning. Rhiannon: First up, soprano, Kathryn Lewek. Kathryn: I just had a baby seven weeks ago, a little baby girl. Clearly, there's a lot to unpack here, so time to call in some decoders. If Pamina disobeys, she'll be disowned and cursed. In this aria, she hands a knife to her daughter, Pamina, and tells her to assassinate Sarastro. She's angry because her late husband left his temple to the high priest, Sarastro, instead of to her. In German, the aria is called “Der hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,” which means “Hell's vengeance boils in my heart.” Well, there's a lot of love songs in opera, and this is not one of them. It's the Queen of the Night's big moment and Mozart's The Magic Flute. Now, amidst all the wonderful music on that record, it only has one aria, and I'll bet you've heard it even if you're not a diehard opera fan. The idea is that if an alien spins it on its alien turntable, it will learn what it means to be human. These records are like time capsules, they've got pictures, sounds and music representing the best of life on earth as we knew it in 1977. Just in case they ran into anyone or anything- yes, I'm talking about aliens now- they put a golden record in each probe. NASA sent two probes into space to take a look around. Rhiannon: The year I was born- do I have to say it? Okay, 1977. That in itself reaches out and grabs us in our innate sense of fascination with evil. Jan: There's something almost supernatural about the register she's singing in. Today, we're going into the stratosphere with “Der Hölle Rache” from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte or The Magic Flute. ![]() Rhiannon: Every episode, we take apart one aria, and then put it back together so you can hear it in a whole new way. I'm Rhiannon Giddens.Ĭarolyn: She's murderous, she's vengeful, she's got a knife that she gives to her daughter and she's trying to incite her daughter to murder. Rhiannon: From WQXR in the Metropolitan Opera, this is Aria Code. You have a dart in your hand, you know exactly where the bull's eye is, you shut your eyes, and you toss it. Kathryn: I always talk about how singing “Queen of the Night” is like throwing darts with your eyes closed.
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