Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen
Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen (Hell's vengeance boils in my heart) is the second aria of the Queen of the Night (Die Königin der Nacht) character in Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute (Die Zauberflöte).
The aria
"Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen", commonly abbreviated "Der Hölle Rache", is often referred to as "The Queen of the Night Aria", despite the fact that the Queen of Night character sings another distinguished aria earlier in the opera, "O Zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn". It is considered to be one of the most famous opera arias, highly memorable, fast paced and grandiose.
The aria is widely renowned for being a demanding piece to perform well. The aria's range is two octaves, from F4 to a stunning F6. The piece requires an extremely high tessitura — even for soporanos — of B4 to B5. The artistic demands of the dramatic context, a vengeful demand for patricide, put a heavy demand on even the well-qualified voice.
The libretto for this aria was written by Mozart's close friend, Emanuel Schikaneder, who also played Papageno in the first performances. The first singer to perform it onstage was none other than Mozart's sister-in-law, Josefa Hofer née Webber, when she was only thirty-three. By all accounts, Hofer had an extraordinary upper register and an exceptionally agile voice. With their fantastically high range and fiendish coloratura passages, the Queen's two arias display those abilities. The triplets at the conclusion are demanding both technically and artistically.
Some notable singers who have performed and recorded this aria include Dame Joan Sutherland, Diana Damrau, Natalie Dessay, Cristina Deutekom, Lucia Popp, Edda Moser, Edita Gruberova, Sumi Jo, Rita Streich, Cheryl Studer, Luciana Serra, Beverly Sills and Erika Miklósa. June Anderson sings the aria in the film Amadeus.
Lyrics
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See Also
Media
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