Serena Sáenz as the Queen of the Night

THE SONGBIRD: Serena Sáenz was born in 1994 in Barcelona. She made her professional debut at the age of 13 in a children's opera at the Gran Theatre del Liceu. Sáenz studied at the conservatories in Barcelona and Berlin and did well in singing competitions including three prizes at the Operalia competition (2022), first prize at the Montserrat Caballé International Singing Competition (2021), and multiple prizes in the Paris Opera Competition and the Francisco Viñas Competition in Barcelona. Opera appearances have included Norina and Lucia in Barcelona, Zerbinetta and Blonde in Vienna, Konstanze in Granada, Lisa (Sonnambula) in Madrid, Queen of the Night in Oviedo, Clorinda in Montpellier, Pamina and Nannetta in Berlin.
THE MUSIC: "The Magic Flute" ("Die Zauberflöte") K.620 premiered on September 30, 1791 in Vienna, just two months before Mozart's death. It was a success right out of the gate and has consistently been one of the most popular and produced operas in the world. The iconic role of the Queen of the Night was composed specifically for Josepha Hofer, Mozart's sister-in-law and a vocal virtuosa. It's a short role with only two arias and one ensemble, but the extreme vocal demands of the music have made it a defining role in the coloratura soprano repertoire. The Queen's first aria "O zittre nicht, mein lieber Sohn" introduces the character as empathetic and righteous; it concludes with swift, commanding, complex coloratura figures culminating in one short High F. The second aria is the well known "Der hölle rache kocht in meinem Herzen" where the character's extreme rage is uniquely expressed in the music, including a sequence of furious staccato figures topped with four High Fs.

[@Momoplz]

Nothing more painful than a clearly more lyric voice attempting coloratura roles. You can HEAR how strained she sounds at the end of "zittre nicht"

[@quequitoAR]

A young 31yo lady with that incipient wobble? What has become of lyric technique?

[@p.w.e.2374]

maybe she shouldn't sing this.

[@mrincrediblememes1517]

she wasnt terrible tho