Beverly Sills - Perfect Queen of the Night "O zittre nicht" 1966

[WilliamSGilbert]

Both of the Fs were just a smidge flat. Alas.

[vorspiel1023]

And what abput Sumi Jo? Her glorious fireworks covered the fact that her performance was, to my ear, wooden and mechanical. At least this has some quality of warmth, leaving the sense that the Queen of the Night is not really just a sociopath, just a real bitch who is perhaps overly portective of her daughter.

[7441338norman]

perfection is what i see !

[OperaMystery80]

But come on Sills has a beautiful voice but it's motherly, warm and loving, you can't sing such an evil role as the Queen of the Night and ask Pamina to kill the Holy Man Sarastro in such a lovely voice, it has to be dark and with bite. As for Moser, she sang for many years (70's, 80's and some of the 90s) at most 26 to 30 years which is a good enough amount of time for a career

[aldodipietra]

Very good... but there are other better Queens of the night.

[petelovesbevsills]

MY all time favourite QOTN without question!

[OperaMystery80]

Not my favorite Queen of the Night although I adore Beverly Sills in all other roles. But what an amazing costume in this photo! I prefer the dramatic heavier coloratura of Edda Moser and Rita Shane as the Queen of the Night...such fierce evil bite in their voice...

[whatever456]

@OperaMystery80 And yo see what happened to Edda Moser with her heavy Mozart. I love her recording of arias but let's face it, darkening and weighting down her voice like she did ended her career lickty split.

[whatever456]

@OperaMystery80 And yo see what happened to Edda Moser with her heavy Mozart. I love her recording of arias but let's face it, darkening and weighting down her voice like she did ended her career lickty split.

[OperaMystery80]

@whatever456 Sills sang the too-heavy-for-her role of Queen Elisabeth I in Roberto Deveraux which she herself admitted to have shortened her career. Her career was very short too. She sang Norma which also was too heavy for her. Sills had lost her voice by 1980. Moser sang throughout the 80's. She sang Salome in '86 and recorded a Wagner album in '92, so she had a longer career than Sills since Moser was singing during Sills' retirement in the 80's. I love both ladies so don't get me wrong

[genceratafan]

@OperaMystery80

With all due respect to Beverly Sills, she is not my Queen of the Night as well.

You should listed to Yelda Kodallı's live recordings. She was names "the new Queen of the Opera " when she came on stage with his role in the 90s.