Classical music FTW!

Today has been a day FILLED with performances of classical music for me. Waking up at 12, I had an hour to get ready before I headed over to the CSULB music center to sit down and enjoy a free presentation of fine singing. The singer: Senior here at CSULB, Christian Burke. The event: His senior recital.
It was wonderfully executed. He sang through a wide variety of languages, including English, German, and Spanish, with the greatest of ease, making himself look almost as if he'd spoken the languages all his life. His vowels were pure, his consonants clean, and his expressions were seen; it was clear that he was WELL prepared for this event (which he should be!) Altogether he sang a total of 13 pieces, over a period of 45 min-1 hour. Probably the most fatiguing thing a singer can do, is sing pieces of the classical repertoire because it is just THAT demanding of the singer. Yet, Christian made it look simple and did it beautifully. I really enjoyed hearing him sing. Even better, at the end, he came out for an "encore" that we (the audience) chanted for. So he played an original he wrote for that occasion and I kid you not, that song was stuck in my head for the duration of the rest of the day...it was INCREDIBLY catchy. So congratulations Christian on a wonderful recital and an enjoyable set.
Later on in the evening, it was time for more classical singing: the Bob Cole Conservatory Opera students opened their 'Opera Masterpieces' performance with select scenes from select operas. This was the performance that really put opera on the map for me, in terms of something that I could see myself getting into. The performances were.....flawlessly breathtaking. Knowing these were my peers, students of the conservatory, my colleagues, really made it that much more special to see. Seeing step into these foreign roles, both in ethnicity and familiarity was awesome. The versatility and TALENT.....just raw talent that was there in that theater on Saturday night was awe-inspiring.
I realized another thing about opera that night, and that was: it really helps to have the translations overhead so you can follow the dialogue that they're speaking. ;P
I've known one thing for a while though: sometimes, music of the classical style can be the greatest. It can take you to new places, so just sit back, and let it.

Here's something I found a while back, and thought it fit quite well with the subject talking about in this post: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeoT66v4EHg
I strongly advise you to listen to the whole thing, and don't TELL me you're not moved by it, no matter how silly it may seem.