Let no one sleep

I couldn't hold off on the aria I mentioned before, because I saw the below vid and just had to make a post on opera, with what little I know of it.

Meet Paul Potts, a mobile phone salesman from Wales. Just... watch:


Just. Wow. Paul Potts, you are my new hero. Also, that exhalation the female judge gives at 1:57, yes yes, that's the awe of being in the presence of greatness.

Here is Pavarotti doing Nessun Dorma, the same aria:

That piece sounds so much like a Phantom song... but I digress. Isn't opera great? ^_^ Sis took me and our parents to see Juan Diego Flórez, a great tenor from Peru, in Il Barbiere di Siviglia (with a bang and a boom and a catchy little tune by Rossini ;) at the Metropolitan Opera House.

Now, for the ladies, with the famous Queen of the Night aria. Here it is sung by Diana Damrau (begins at 2:10 in the video below)

German <3 Is she not absolutely fabulous? *flails* Those notes!!! INHUMAN! *flails some more*

Last, but not least, let me present Florence Foster Jenkins! She was a socialite who wanted to be a great opera singer, just like our Mr. Potts. Except she was umm...not so good at it. But she had money to throw around and persisted and persisted--and didn't get any better, but society thought her crazy and funny and she sold out Carnegie Hall. Here is an audio sample of her rendition of the Queen of the Night aria:

Yeah her voice is like a dying bird.. but this is what raises her to awesomeness: she once said "People may say I can't sing, but no one can ever say I didn't sing." THAT IS SO PUNK! LOVE YOU FLORENCE <3 <3 <3

edited to add: I was just reading up on Diana Damrau and found this snippet in her wiki page: "Both Damrau and Peruvian tenor Juan Diego Florez revealed in a joint interview on New York Radio Station WNYC, November 2006 during their run in Gioachino Rossini's Il barbiere di Siviglia at the Metropolitan Opera..."
WE SAW THE BARBER OF SEVILLE IN NOVEMBER 2006 SO I PROBABLY SAW HER AND DIDN'T EVEN KNOW IT. WHOA. *brain explodes*

Okay, I lied, one more vid. L'amour est un oiseau rebelle from Carmen:

Love is a Rebellious Bird :)