@antonireviewsoperaandmore
My Thoughts on Carl Maria von Weber’s Der Freischütz at the Staatsoper im Schiller Theater
October 30, 2021 in Uncategorized
Let’s see where my opinions stand on one of von Weber’s most popular operas of all time. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
The Flowers Have Died A Capella
October 29, 2021 in Uncategorized
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Cosby Show fans of all ages, I present to you my rendition of Sondra’s little song from the Season 2 episode “Cliff in Love”. I hope you all enjoy it.
Der Hölle Rache
October 28, 2021 in Uncategorized
DIE KÖNIGIN DER NACHT
“Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen,
Tod und Verzweiflung,
Tod und Verzweiflung flammet um mich her!
Fühlt nicht durch dich Sarastro Todesschmerzen,
Sarastro Todesschmerzen,
So bist Du meine Tochter nimmermehr!
So bist Du meine Tochter nimmermehr!
Meine Tochter nimmermehr!
So bist Du meine Tochter nimmermehr!
Verstoßen sei auf ewig, verlassen sei auf ewig,
Zertrümmert sei’n auf ewig alle Bande der Natur,
Verstoßen, verlassen, zertrümmert,
Alle Bande der Natur.
Alle Bande, alle Bande der Natur.
Wenn nicht durch dich Sarastro wird erblassen!
Hört! Hört! Hört! Rachegötter! Hört der Mutter Schwur!”
– “Der Hölle Rache” The Queen of the Night, known in German as Die Königin der Nacht, from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte, Libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder, first performance on September 30, 1791 at the Theater auf der Wieden, Vienna, Austria.
English Translation
THE QUEEN OF THE NIGHT
The vengeance of Hell boils in my heart,
Death and despair,
Death and despair flame about me!
If Sarastro does not feel through you
The pain of death,
Then you will be my daughter nevermore!
Then you will be my daughter nevermore!
My daughter nevermore!
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,
Disowned, abandoned, destroyed,
All the bonds of nature.
All the bonds, all the bonds of nature.
If not through you Sarastro becomes pale!
Hear! Hear! Hear! Gods of Vengeance! Hear a mother’s vow!
Here is my second submission for Brenda’s aka 100millionPOINTS’ 5000-Point Contest. This time Brenda is in the role of the Queen of the Night from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, known in German as Die Zauberflöte. I think I found my recurring theme before the contest deadline where I place Brenda in some of my most favourite characters in the dramatic coloratura soprano repertoire of opera. Be it by Mozart, Meyerbeer, Halévy, Gounod, Bellini, Donizetti, Rossini, Verdi, Glinka, Offenbach, Boito or Puccini, the operatic possibilities are absolutely endless at least until October 23. Regardless, I am really enjoying myself placing Brenda in different costumes in some of my favourite opera characters in the dramatic coloratura soprano repertoire, as in the type of roles that require huge, dramatic yet flexibly agile and piercingly incisive singing.
Fun fact, ladies, gentlemen, and opera fans from all over the world, “Der Hölle Rache” or the Queen of the Night’s second-act aria from Mozart’s Zauberflöte has always been my go-to jam ever since I was a fifteen-year-old high-schooler, although my deeply meaningful passion for this coloratura soprano aria stems back to when I was a lot younger. Every day after school, I would go on to YouTube or listen to whatever CD had this aria in its tracks and listen to “Der Hölle Rache” non-stop to the point where it has become my greatest earworm ever. I still do to this day as an adult, although I am a whole lot more choosy as to which type of coloratura soprano touches the entirety of the Queen of the Night. I do enjoy Erna Berger, Lea Piltti, Miliza Korjus, Sari Barabas, Wilma Lipp, Gisela Vivarelli, Bogna Sokorska, Gianna d’Angelo, Roberta Peters, Ingeborg Hallstein, Luciana Serra, Edita Gruberova, Sylvia Greenberg, Elisabeth Vidal, Sumi Jo, Cornelia Götz, Natalie Dessay, Andrea Frei, Erika Miklosa, Diana Damrau, Kerstin Avemo, Lyubov Petrova, and Jana Sibera as the Queen of the Night. However, this role is truly for a dramatic coloratura soprano, let alone a coloratura soprano with a sizeable timbre, with my reigning favourites being Antonina Nezhdanova, Frieda Hempel, Melitta Heim, Maria Stader, Serafima Dineva, Rae Woodland, Colette Lorand, Jutta Vulpius, Cristina Deutekom, Christiane Eda-Pierre, Sylvia Geszty, Rita Shane, Edda Moser, Urszula Koszut, Tatiana Sterling, Karin Ott, Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger, Sally Wolf, Wendy Waller, Hellen Kwon, Elena Mosuc, Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, Svetlana Nikitenko, Klara Kolonits, Aline Kutan, Aleksandra Kurzak, Ana Durlovski, Jessica Pratt, Albina Shagimuratova, Hulkar Sabirova, Jana Srejma-Kacirkova, and Kathryn Lewek. I also adore Kathleen Casello, Claudia Kunz-Eisenlohr, and Laura Aikin as the Queen of the Night, but I cannot find any recordings of their renditions of this iconic aria.
I know there is nothing amusing about a raging anti-heroine/villainess such as the Queen of the Night singing about how much fury she has against her rival, Sarastro sung by a basso profondo, all because, after her unseen husband’s death, he was entrusted with the Sevenfold Circle of the Sun instead of her and that she is a woman who could not be trusted by Sarastro’s brotherhood, thus vociferously coaxing her own daughter, Pamina sung by either a lyric coloratura soprano or a light lyric soprano, to kill Sarastro in order to attain power that she thought was rightfully hers. So much for attempting to manipulate Tamino sung by a lyric tenor into overcoming Sarastro to suit her want for power, until he learned the truth behind the fabrication. At least listeners can take comfort in the fact that Mozart wrote the most challenging yet compellingly rewarding music for a dramatic coloratura soprano such as the Queen of the Night. With that said, I hope you all enjoy fifteen of my most favourite interpreters of “Der Hölle Rache” in the forms of Serafima Dineva, Rae Woodland, Colette Lorand, Cristina Deutekom, Sylvia Geszty, Edda Moser, Urszula Koszut, Tatiana Sterling, Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger, Sally Wolf, Hellen Kwon, Elena Mosuc, Anna-Kristiina Kaappola, Svetlana Nikitenko, and Klara Kolonits.
Serafima Dineva (in Bulgarian)
Rae Woodland
Colette Lorand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Vf07LUR6h4
Cristina Deutekom
Sylvia Geszty
Edda Moser
Urszula Koszut
Tatiana Sterling
Venceslava Hruba-Freiberger
Sally Wolf
Hellen Kwon
Elena Mosuc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z-oeH0C25C0
Anna-Kristiina Kaappola (in Finnish)
Svetlana Nikitenko (aria starts at 02:19)
Klara Kolonits (in Hungarian)
I hope you all enjoyed these favourite interpretations of “Der Hölle Rache” to accompany this piece of fan art I drew involving Brenda donning the Queen of the Night’s garb, and I shall see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and never ever get on your mother’s bad side, everybody, especially if she has magical powers of the night, or she shall threaten you with her stratospheric high notes.
Brenda belongs to 100millionPOINTS.
My Thoughts on the 1995 Tristan und Isolde at the Bayreuther Festspiele
October 27, 2021 in Uncategorized
My Top 25 Favorite Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids Episodes Part 2
October 26, 2021 in Uncategorized
Sit back, relax and enjoy for this is my final ten favorite Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids episodes!
My Top 25 Favorite Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids Episodes Part 1
October 25, 2021 in Uncategorized
Here’s part 1 of my Top 25 Favorite Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids episodes! Cheers to you all!
Grizzly Tales for Gruesome Kids Cartoon Review
October 24, 2021 in Uncategorized
So how rollickingly awesome is this grizzly show? Find out more in this review of one of my favourite animated horror comedy anthology series of all time!
A Tribute to Waltraud Meier
October 23, 2021 in Uncategorized
My Thoughts on the Vienna Traditional Classic Orchestra at Bäckerstraße 16
October 22, 2021 in Uncategorized
For what it was worth, it was enjoyable seeing these musicians and singers perform to the best of their abilities and I am sure in the future they will be greater than they already are. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Cristina Deutekom in Vienna Album Review
October 21, 2021 in Uncategorized
Without a doubt one of my most beloved and favorite dramatic coloratura sopranos of all time known for her unique technique and her powerful yet agile voice, Cristina Deutekom. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Edita Gruberova Christmas Recital Album Review
October 20, 2021 in Uncategorized
One of my most all time favourite lyric coloratura sopranos of all time, the ever fabulous Edita Gruberova, sings some of the finest holiday classics in this album. Enjoy the review and let me know your opinions as well.
Two-Fold Romance
October 19, 2021 in Uncategorized
This screenshot motivational poster is absolutely Pro-Sesshoumaru, Pro-Inuyasha, Pro-Ayame, Pro-SessAya in the loved pairing sense, and Pro-InuAya in the OTP sense. Sit back, relax, and revel how romance can be a strange thing in Ayame’s life which led her to have a crush on Sesshoumaru but realise that her sentiments towards Inuyasha are more unadulterated and more genuine than she could ever give herself credit for.
Dear readers, fans of Inuyasha, and people who have enjoyed Inuyasha when they were young but would have loved more development where characters like Ayame are concerned, romantic love is an unusual thing in life. It comes in different shapes and sizes, but I contend that there are types of romantic love that I am sure a lot of us who have been in a relationship. You may disagree with me all you want, but that is just my perception of what romantic love can be. The first form of romantic love commences with a crush. You initially feel like you are on cloud nine when you see that person. When you finally interact with that person, there will be occasions where you feel like it is the greatest event you have partaken in. However, time can be cruel, people change, and you realise that the spark which was present is unfortunately non-existent, despite the very good times you had together, thus making this end in unrequited love. The second form of romantic love is unconditional love. This love is total, pure, and requires self-sacrifice and a 50/50 balance from both parties. This is the love that aspires both life partners to be better for each other, warts and all. Unconditional love enables both partners to see each other for who they are, not what they want to be, thus challenging each others’ notions of themselves while bettering each other through thick and thin. Therefore, I contend that the love Ayame has for Sesshoumaru does start with a crush but ends as unrequited love, while Inuyasha’s and Ayame’s love for each other is absolutely unconditional and knows no bounds. Experiencing both sides of the romantic love coin offers different perspectives of what love can be.
Ayame’s love for Sesshoumaru would be based on trust, respect, allegiance, honour, and duty playing such an integral role in their relationship. She would indubitably help him realise that there is a lot more to his life than just his everlasting quest for power and would see a more awkward side to him. Awkward because, despite being a Daiyokai, Sesshoumaru might not have experience in finding himself in a romantic relationship with anybody, let alone Ayame, but he refuses to let his emotions show. Sure, Sesshoumaru is perceptive of Ayame’s skills as a courageous warrior princess, but Ayame is just as perceptive of Sesshoumaru being valiant, valorous, and determined on the outside but socially withdrawn on the inside. Therefore, Sesshoumaru can acknowledge how much respect Ayame gives him, and Ayame can help Sesshoumaru lighten up on some occasions. They seem to be accustomed to each other, but there are some reservations. Sesshoumaru would be aware that Ayame does feel stifled for not always expressing her true inner self and having to ritualistically abide with protocol. Although there seemed to be sparks flying between Sesshoumaru and Ayame in the romantic department, Ayame would accept that they both need to have time for themselves, thus separating amicably. It is neither Sesshoumaru’s style nor Ayame’s style to throw a tantrum about their relationship not functioning well, let alone vociferously blame each other, but this realisation would herald time for healing and recuperation for the both of them. Furthermore, Sesshoumaru would recognise that Ayame does need someone who truly understands her and will not treat her like a mere prize. In Sesshoumaru’s mind, should Ayame continue to remain with him, she would not have been privy to all the spectators’ and preceptors’ prying eyes and would have been doomed to live under a rigid set of otherwise arbitrary rules, thus not providing Ayame with the pursuit of happiness that she ought to live with.
Enter Inuyasha. Sesshoumaru would encourage Inuyasha and Ayame to coexist in a healthily romantic relationship, which they would do so with no regrets. This may have something to do with Sesshoumaru somewhat playing matchmaker in Inuyasha’s and Ayame’s love lives in a distant manner because he would not want to have his younger brother fall for a mortal girl, but it would signify how much Inuyasha and Ayame actually have in common. What would make Inuyasha and Ayame click is how strong they are as fighters and as individuals. Nothing could ever take them down even if they tried. Their romance would build up into knowing that they have something in common through virtues of their physical strength and stamina as well as their psychological determination to never be knocked down to developing into full-fledged trust, loyalty, compassion, and perseverance. Inuyasha and Ayame would learn to acknowledge each others’ good sides, bad sides, and ugly sides without ever flinching, thus demonstrating unconditional steadfastness amidst all insurmountable odds. In Inuyasha’s and Ayame’s romantic life, there is nobody else they can ever trust than each other.
Sesshoumaru might have given Ayame a taste of what love could be in an idealised fairy-tale sense, with Sesshoumaru being akin to a noble prince to Ayame’s dutiful yet independent princess, but even he would decree that Inuyasha is meant for her thanks to how much unconditional steadfastness, loyalty, and love there is between them. Therefore, Ayame’s love for Sesshoumaru may initiate as a crush, but it is ultimately puppy love, while the love that Inuyasha and Ayame have for each other is unconditional, pure, and absolutely untainted.
I hope you all enjoyed this, and I will see you in the next submission. Take care, stay safe, and never forget that romantic love may be tough, but it is quite interesting, everybody.
Sesshoumaru, Inuyasha, and Ayame from Inuyasha belong to Rumiko Takahashi and Sunrise.
