On the subject of the Queen of the Night, I strongly recommend the
just released DVD of the 2002-2003 season production from the Royal
Opera House, Covent Garden. The Queen of the Night is a true dramatic
coloratura, Diana Damrau. She not only hit all the notes, including the
feared high F's, but she scared the socks off me. And the Papageno of
Simon Keenlyside is the best I've ever seen. [And that includes Hakan
Hagegard in Ingmar Bergman's film.]
Scott,
whose review will eventually appear at amazon.com