I post this because whenever I recommend to anyone the Queen of Night, I always recommend it in the Lucia Popp rendition. It's a matter of personal taste, but what I love about this is that it is somewhat slower than the other versions and as a result, it would seem to me somewhat more difficult to perform and sustain--those high notes in which the Queen's voice becomes the Magic Flute itself are rounded, full, and deep while remaining light and airy. I have read some rather severe criticism of this ritardando; and while it may or may not reflect Mozart's intent, it is certainly within the options for staging. It creates a real vocal showpiece from what is already a magnificent example of same. It really is an amazing example of a virtuoso composition sung by a virtuoso voice. All of which should not be taken to mean that I do not truly appreciate the version posted earlier by Diana Damrau, it's just nice to see what a difference tempo can make. I think we can take
Did no one watch House earlier this season? Or maybe it was toward the end of last season. I guess they had read the article also. Although House showed that the cat was attracted to people who had higher temperatures than others since cats love to stay warm. Perhaps that isn't Oscar's rationale although I suspect the writers had heard of this story when they wrote it into the script. It made sense to me though ... :-)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie,
ReplyDeleteI don't watch House so this came as welcome information to me and perhaps to many readers. Thank you!
Steven