Sunday, September 13, 2026

Famous opera arias

Twice I have searched for the most popular opera arias and listened to them.  Nearly all the recordings are on YouTube.  The second time I did that I experienced an odd feeling, one of almost being drunk.  Elation, joy, happiness.  They are not all depictions of love or positive feelings.  Mozart’s The Magic Flute has a famous aria by the Queen of the Night.  It is beautiful and very memorable but it turns out the woman is enraged that her daughter refuses to murder a man the Queen deeply hates.  The Queen has commanded her own daughter to take this dagger and kill Sarastro. When the daughter, a grown woman, refuses to do so, the Queen flies into a deep rage, threatening to disown the daughter.