Favourite females in opera

Here's the program of choices for our end of term celebration of great female roles.

We start with a tantrum - the Queen of the Night declaring, "Der Hölle Rache" - Hell's vengence!

Jill K

Queen of the Night - "Der Hölle Rache" - Hell's vengence! Mozart's The Magic Flute.

Diana Damrau's 2003 debut performance at Royal Opera House (ROH)

(You can choose here from 20 different sopranos singing the famous aria!)

Brenda

Delilah - "Softly Awakes My Heart" from Saint-Saens’ opera Samson and Delilah

Shirley Verret with Jon Vickers,

ROH 1981

Ihita

Madama Butterfly – Puccini: 'One Fine Day'.

Ermonela Jaho sings Cio-Cio-San’s Act II aria.

Met Opera: 2017–18 season.

Hilary

Ella in Pecan Summer by Deborah Cheetham;

Ella, the mother, is sung by the composer.

You can watch the entire opera on SBS on Demand.

Lyn

Marie - from La fille du regiment by Donizetti -

Natalie Dessay at the Met, 2007, sings "Au bruit de la guerre"

... and later, "Chacun le sait"

Pat and Ewen

Lucia – from Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor.

Joan Sutherland – on the Ed Sullivan Show – sings “Quando Rapido”. 1961

More about Lucia on our earlier blog here.

Dawn

Little Buttercup from HMS Pinafore by Gilbert and Sullivan

Colette Mann sings her entry song - in the Opera Australia production, 2003.

Michelle

Aida - in Verdi's opera of that name.

Michelle Francis Cook sings "Ritorna Vincitor" from Act 1

Opera of Terrassa, 2018

Sheila

Leonora/Fidelio from Beethoven’s Fidelio .

Act I canon quartet, 'Mir ist so wunderbar'

ROH 2020.

Lise Davidsen is Leonora, with Amanda Forsythe, Georg Zeppenfeld and Robin Tritschler

Tom

Cleopatra

Cecilia Bartoli sings "V'adoro pupille", as “Lydia”, to Cesare (Andreas Scholl).

From Handel’s Giulio Cesare in Egitto, Act 2, Salzburg Festival, 2012

Sue

Violetta from La Traviata by Verdi

Renee Fleming sings "Sempre Libre" - ‘A toast to the pleasures of life!’

ROH 2011. Alfredo sung by Joseph Calleja

Kaye:

Olympia from The Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach

Natalie Dessay sings the Doll's Song, at Chorégies d'Orange festival: 2000

Chris

Adele: 'Mein Herr Marquis' – laughing song from Die Fledermaus by Johann Strauß jr.

Sirkka Lampimäki, Finnish soprano, 2011

Canadian soprano Lindsday Sutherland Boal: 2013.

And to restore proper operatic context,

Edita Gruberova sings "Mein Herr Marquis" at the Wiener Staatsoper, 1990.

Have a happy winter break, everyone. Our term starts again on Friday July 21st.

Lyn, 22 June, 2023