[Better sound] Joan Sutherland as the Queen of the Night: O zittre nicht • Der Hölle Rache (arias)

Joan Sutherland live at the Covent Garden (1962) sings one of the most impressive renditions of the 2 arias of the Queen of the Night, "O zittre nicht" and "Der Hölle rache" (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Die Zauberflöte, a.k.a. The Magic Flute). Her singing has that unique combination of amazing power, dramatic bite, lyrical beauty and almost unbelievably fast and accurate coloratura. Except for those who view those two arias basically as a showcase for the highest notes and little else, Sutherland's Queen of the Night is revealing in that what she may have lacked in a High F (a High F according to contemporary, not 18th century pitch, of course), she more than made up for in almost superhuman singing and sheer dramatic power.