Mommy Dearest

Motherhood is revered in religion, most cultures, and portrayed as sacred in many genres of the arts throughout history. As we know from Opera, not every mother is a selfless caregiver as evidenced by The Queen of the Night, Lucretia Borgia, and Clytemnestra.

The Queen of the Night

It is important to note that the characterization of The Queen of the Night in Mozart's opera, The Magic Flute, is a subject of interpretation and debate. However, some critics argue that she can be seen as a bad mother for the following reasons:

She sends Pamina, her daughter, on a dangerous mission without providing her with enough information or support. In the opera, The Queen of the Night tasks Prince Tamino and Papageno with rescuing Pamina from the evil Sarastro. While she does give Tamino a magic flute to help him on his journey, she fails to provide him with the full story of why Pamina is being held captive or the true nature of Sarastro's character. This lack of transparency puts Pamina in danger and makes her vulnerable to manipulation.

The Queen of the Night is shown to be manipulative and controlling. She uses emotional blackmail to persuade Tamino to rescue Pamina, playing on his desire for love and his sense of duty. She also attempts to manipulate Sarastro's followers into turning against him by painting him as a villain and encouraging them to seek revenge.

The Queen of the Night's motivations for wanting Pamina rescued are questionable. While she claims to love her daughter and wants her to be safe, some critics argue that her true motive is to gain power and control. By sending Tamino to defeat Sarastro, she hopes to weaken his hold on the kingdom and increase her own influence.

Overall, while The Queen of the Night's actions may be seen as understandable given the circumstances of the opera's plot, her lack of transparency, manipulative behavior, and questionable motivations can be interpreted as evidence that she is a bad mother.

The Queen of the Night's most famous aria is "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen" (English: "Hell's vengeance boils in my heart") from Mozart's opera "The Magic Flute". It is a notoriously difficult aria, requiring the singer to hit numerous high notes and execute rapid runs and trills. The aria is sung by The Queen of the Night in Act II, as she urges her daughter Pamina to kill Sarastro and avenge her father's death. It is known for its dramatic and powerful melody, which perfectly captures the character's anger and desire for revenge. Here is this famous aria sung by Diana Damrau.  LINK

Lucretia Borgia

Lucretia Borgia is an awful mother. Lucrezia Borgia, daughter of Pope Alexander VI, is often portrayed in history as a villain and a notorious figure, and her reputation as an awful mother is well documented. Here are some reasons why:

She was known to have had an incestuous relationship with her brother, Cesare Borgia. Their relationship was reportedly very close and intimate, and it is rumored that she may have even had children with him. This would obviously make her an unfit mother, as it suggests a lack of moral character and a disregard for societal norms.

Lucrezia was also rumored to have poisoned her own husband, Alfonso of Aragon, in order to marry another man. The fact that she was willing to go to such extreme lengths to achieve her goals suggests a lack of empathy and concern for the wellbeing of those around her, including her own children.

Lucrezia was involved in the political intrigues and machinations of her family, which often resulted in violence, betrayal, and bloodshed. Her children were often caught in the crossfire of these power struggles, and some were even used as political pawns or hostages. This instability and uncertainty would have made it difficult for her to provide a stable and nurturing environment for her children.

Overall, Lucrezia Borgia's reputation as an unfit mother is largely based on her involvement in scandals and violent political machinations, as well as her rumored incestuous relationship with her brother. These factors suggest a lack of moral character and a disregard for the wellbeing of her children.

However, in the opera Lucretia Borgia by Gaetano Donizetti, we witness  her maternal side. The evidence begins with her first  aria that is considered to be one of her most famous: "Com'è Bello!" (English: "How beautiful it is!"). The aria is sung by Lucrezia in Act I, Scene 2, as she admires a portrait of her son, Gennaro, whom she has never met. The melody is beautiful and expressive, conveying Lucrezia's longing for the son she never knew, and is one of the highlights of the opera.

She again proves that she may indeed have a traditional mother’s heart (a rare departure for the evil Lucretia) when she tries to warn Gennaro of her husband’s jealous plot to poison him.  Lucrezia fails and her son dies from  poisoned wine. In the final moments of Act 2, Lucretia sings "Era desso il figlio mio" in  one of the most dramatic and powerful moments in the opera. To hear Dame Joan Sutherland sing this aria follow this LINK.

Clytemnestra

In the opera Electra, the mother's name is Clytemnestra. She is portrayed as a villain because she murders her husband, King Agamemnon, in order to gain power and marry her lover Aegisthus. Clytemnestra's actions are seen as a betrayal of both her husband and her children, particularly her daughter Electra, who seeks revenge against her mother throughout the opera.

In Greek mythology, Clytemnestra is often depicted as a complex and controversial figure, with some interpretations portraying her as a victim of circumstance and others portraying her as a ruthless and power-hungry schemer. In the opera Electra, she is generally portrayed as a manipulative and cruel character who will stop at nothing to achieve her goals.

Clytemnestra, being a character in various operas, has been portrayed by different composers in different ways. However, in Richard Strauss's opera "Elektra," which is based on the ancient Greek tragedy by Sophocles, Clytemnestra has a famous monologue rather than an aria, called "Was willst du?" (What do you want?).

In this intense and dramatic monologue, Clytemnestra confronts her daughter Electra, who is seeking revenge for the murder of her father. Clytemnestra expresses her fears and regrets, as well as her pride in having taken control of her own fate. The music is dark and haunting, with dissonant chords and angular melodies that convey the character's conflicted emotions.

While not strictly an aria, “Was willst du?" is one of the most famous and powerful pieces of music associated with the character of Clytemnestra in any opera.

Listen to the famous aria with Clytemnestra (Leone Rysanek) and Electra (Gwyneth Jones).   LINK 

And a Happy Mother’s Day to all!

Bernadette

This OperaBlog was contributed by Bernadette Snider, Vice President for Communications, Santa Fe Opera Guild Board of Directors, May 1, 2023.