[Fast, furious strings. A pounding timpani. Signor Sammartino's voice — high, piercing, unhinged:]
"Ladies and gentlemen. Signore e signori. The Queen of the Night sings of vengeance. But I am not the Queen. I am not the Night. I am the axe. I am the thing that sings when the blade goes in."
[A sharp, manic laugh.]
"This is 'Der Holle Rache.' The axe's revenge. The voices demanded it. The voices will have it."
[The orchestra explodes. Fast. Furious. Terrifying.]
---
[ARIA — SUNG, OPERATIC, FAST, FURIOUS]
Der Holle Rache! The axe's revenge!
The voices demand it! The voices will not bend!
The blade is sharp! The blade is hot!
The axe will have the thing it sought!
Der Holle Rache! The blood will flow!
The voices will sing! The voices will know
The name of the one who swung the blade!
The axe's revenge! The promise I made!
---
[CHORUS — CHORUS OF VOICES, SOPRANO, EERIE, FAST]
Revenge, revenge, revenge, little axe.
The tenor's promise has no cracks.
Revenge, revenge, revenge, little blade.
The axe's revenge will never fade.
---
[VERSE 2 — SUNG, BUILDING, FASTER, HIGHER]
Der Holle Rache! The faces fell!
The ones who left. The ones who tell
The stories of the axe's rage!
The axe's revenge! The final page!
The voices scream! The voices cheer!
"The axe's revenge is finally here!"
Der Holle Rache! The blade will swing!
The axe's revenge is everything!
The Queen of the Night has nothing on me.
I am the axe. I am the key.
I open the doors. I close the gates.
The axe's revenge is what awaits.
---
[BRIDGE — SPOKEN OVER SOFT, TREMOLO STRINGS]
[Signor Sammartino's voice, quieter, but still intense:]
"You ever feel the rage? The kind that doesn't sleep. The kind that doesn't eat. The kind that just waits. And waits. And waits. Until the blade is in your hand and the voices are screaming and the only thing that matters is the swing."
[A pause. A sharp breath.]
"That's the axe's revenge. That's the aria. That's the thing that makes the voices sing."
[The orchestra returns. Faster. More furious.]
[FINAL ARIA — SUNG, FULL ORCHESTRA, HIGHEST NOTES, TERRIFYING]
Der Holle Rache! The axe's revenge!
The voices demand it! The voices will not bend!
The blade is here! The blade is mine!
The axe's revenge is divine!
Der Holle Rache! The blood will spray!
The axe's revenge is the only way!
The voices are singing! The voices are loud!
The axe's revenge is the only thing that makes me proud!
Der Holle Rache! The final note!
The axe's revenge is in my throat!
I sing for you! I sing for me!
Der Holle Rache! The axe is free!
Der Holle Rache! The axe has won!
The revenge is over! The revenge is done!
The voices are quiet. The voices rest.
Der Holle Rache! The axe is blessed!
[OUTRO]
[The orchestra fades to a single, trembling string note. Signor Sammartino's voice, breathless, satisfied, eternal:]
"The axe is still in my hand. The voices are still in my head. The revenge is never over. It only sleeps. It only waits. It only dreams of the next swing."
AsheTheHyena
