Mozart - Queen of the Night

What if you had a voice so outstanding that Mozart wrote an aria that only you could sing?  And what happens when someone else tries to sing it?

Mozart's sister-in-law Josepha Hofer had an astonishingly high range and a voice that "agile" in the extreme.  Mozart wrote an aria that sounds nearly impossible to sing.  The fireworks start around 40 seconds in.



This has always been considered an intimidating piece to perform, one that separates the truly great sopranos from the rest of the pack.  Of course, some sopranos rush in where Angels fear to tread.

Florence Jenkins was one of these.  Her self-regard was not matched by her tone, pitch, or range, but because she was independently wealthy she acquired the reputation as the worst soprano in the world.  She wasn't just bad, she was famously bad.  Fortunately, she made a record, which (if you are up to it) you can listen to at Wikipedia.  Don't say you haven't been warned.

The best and the worst, sublime and ridiculous.  There's often just a hair's breadth between them.