# Hi, I'm new to Opera, please help me :)



## leevshan (Aug 21, 2010)

I'm really interested in the style of high pitch melodic vocal as in Mozart's Magic Flute, Queen of the Night Aria...you know, the _"Aa, Aa, Aa, Aa, Aa..... Aa, Aa, Aa, Aa"_ part. Lol.. 
sorry I don't know how to explain it, but I'm sure you know what I mean 
What other opera has A LOT of that high pitch melodic line similar to Magic Flute Queen of Night Aria?

And also, does Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) and Doktor Faust (Busoni) recommended for beginner like me? Or do you have any recommendation please?

Thank you everyone.


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## Air (Jul 19, 2008)

Go for Mozart's other operas then... something like _Le Nozze di Figaro_ may suit the bill.


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## karenpat (Jan 16, 2009)

you should also check out Natalie Dessay's recordings, she's recorded a lot of coloratura arias  (the Queen of the Night arias are among them)


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## rgz (Mar 6, 2010)

The name of that aria is Der Holle Rache and is performed by a type of singer called a coloratura soprano. The main qualities of a coloratura are a high range and very agile, flexible voice, both of which are highlighted in Der Holle Rache. If you like that aria, you may (like myself, also a bit of a newcomer to opera) like other coloratura works.

I discussed some of my intro to opera in this post, which may be of help: http://www.talkclassical.com/5222-your-opera-journey-3.html#post89349

Singers you specifically may want to look for on youtube include Natalie Dessay, Diana Damrau, Joan Sutherland, June Anderson, Kathleen Battle (amongst many, many others).
Arias you may like are O Zittre Nicht (also from The Magic Flute), The Doll Song / Song of Olympia / Les Oiseaux dans le Charmille (several names for this aria, but searching for Doll Song should produce several results), Martern Aller Artern, The Flower Duet, Ruhe Sanft Mein Holdes Leben, The Bell Song / Air des Clochettes, Glitter and Be Gay

Here are a few vids you may like, fun and accessible songs, in addition to the ones mentioned above:





















I think the best way to continue to develop a taste for opera is to find a few singers you particularly like and listen to more of their works, and also to do the same for composers -- if you find you're a big Mozart fan, listen to more of his work, and then try to broaden your horizons a bit by exploring other composers. That's basically what I did -- started off by stumbling onto Diana Damrau's Queen of the Night from Mozart's "The Magic Flute" and listened to more Damrau and more Mozart, and have continued branching out from there. I really can't get enough of opera now, and in a way it's exciting I discovered it relatively late in life ... I get to keep finding works that are new to me for several years to come 

And, just speaking from my own experience, I recommend a top-down approach to opera where you listen to individual arias and develop a real taste for it, and only then working your way to full operas, rather than trying to jump into a full opera immediately. They can be fantastic experiences, but can also be exhausting or tiring, trying to take in 2-3 hours of music at once -- especially for the modern ear raised on rock and pop songs 3-5 minutes in length. It's quite a cultural shift!


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## Aramis (Mar 1, 2009)

> And also, does Sadko (Rimsky-Korsakov) and Doktor Faust (Busoni)


No, unless you are already into non-operatic music of this kind. Eventually try Korsakov, but leave Busoni. For now.


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## leevshan (Aug 21, 2010)

Thank you so much everyone for your kind replies! 

I will take all the advices here, they all are valuable for a beginner like me


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## david johnson (Jun 25, 2007)

the first two operas i enjoyed (after hearing several) were wagner/the flying dutchman and puccini/la boheme.

dj


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

This style that you liked in the Queen of the Night's aria is called coloratura like other users have told you, and is particularly present in Bel Canto operas (Donizetti, Bellini, Rossini), but exists elsewhere as well. Some very famous examples include _Una voce poco fa_ in _Il Barbiere di Siviglia_, the Doll song in _Les contes d'Hoffmann_, the Mad Scene in _Lucia di Lammermoor_, and the Bell song in _Lakmé_.


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