Which Mozart opera features the Queen of the Night?

Mozart’s opera The Magic Flute features the Queen of the Night. In German, the opera is titled Die Zauberflöte, and the Queen is one of its most recognizable characters.

The opera follows Prince Tamino, who is asked to rescue Pamina, the Queen’s daughter. At first, the Queen presents herself as a grieving mother and persuades Tamino that the high priest Sarastro is Pamina’s enemy. As the story unfolds, that first impression changes: Sarastro’s community is associated with wisdom and initiation, while the Queen becomes an antagonist.

Mozart wrote the opera to a German libretto by Emanuel Schikaneder. It is a Singspiel, a form combining musical numbers with spoken dialogue, and it includes serious philosophical themes alongside fairy-tale comedy. The work premiered in Vienna on September 30, 1791, only about two months before Mozart’s death.

The Queen of the Night is especially famous for her coloratura soprano arias, which demand extreme vocal agility and very high notes. The role was created by Josepha Hofer, Mozart’s sister-in-law. The other options are also Mozart operas, but none includes this character.