The Emperor's role is written for a mezzo-soprano voice – thus the abstract Emperor becomes the embodiment of evil. The use of typically romantic coloraturas for the role of Rachel is another device to remove a character from realism into abstraction – in this case, the sycophantic nature of Rachel.
The Emperor's role is written for a mezzo-soprano voice – thus, the abstract Emperor becomes the representation of evil. The use of typical romantic coloraturas for the role of Rachel is another technique to remove a character from realism into abstraction – in this case, the flattering nature of Rachel.