My favorite opera arias

I think ever since we watched the modernized version of Offenbach's Tales of Hoffman in IHUM last fall, I've been slightly obsessed with The Doll Song, aka "Les Oiseaux Dans La Charmille."

Today I started listening to "Canzonetta sull'aria" from Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro. It was the song Andy Dufresne played over the PA system in The Shawshank Redemption. Absolutely beautiful. I was playing it in my head during my chem midterm, and it was quite calming.

I've also been listening to "Exsultate, jubilate", but on my recording on iTunes, not this youtube video, which is too vibrato-y, a bit too fast for my taste, and out of sync with the visuals. Plus Cecilia Bartoli has a crazed look on her face while she's singing. I don't know who sings my version though, because it just says "Vienna Symphony." It's from the 25 Mozart Favorites CD.

My other longtime favorites are "Der Hölle Rache kocht in meinem Herzen!", aka the Queen of the Night's Aria, and "Pa-pa-pa-pa" (which is the second Papageno/Papagena song, I think), both from Mozart's Die Zauberflöte (aka The Magic Flute). Hmm, Cecilia Bartoli again. But she's vastly less annoying in this video.

So basically the reason I've been breaking out so much opera (besides the fact that it's awesome) is because it's midterm week, and I can't study to things with recognizable words. I have been listening to other classical music, but don't even get me started on that. (I did find out that my favorite composer is not Mozart, as I had previously thought, but Sarasate, with Paganini as a runner-up. Although Mozart is still high on my list. His pieces have a pretty good mix of playing ease and listening ease. *edit: I forgot Mendelssohn! His pieces are great too.) I actually only have one class with midterms, because the others have either weekly quizzes (stats) or papers (IHUM and PWR). Plus I'm taking a lecture series on professors' work. But there's also other stuff. Observe my schedule this week:

Fri: Research Grants Workshop
Sat: Job Fair, accupuncture
Mon: PWR paper #1 due, Chem pset due
Tue: IHUM paper due, stats quiz, CDC appointment (for finding summer job)
Wed (today): Chem midterm
Thu: lunch with pre-major advisor, PWR (short) presentation, getting stuff at San Antonio, Spotlight On (I'm not doing it, just attending)
Fri: Visit BOSP to ask about study abroad, visit GRT (weather permitting), and one of two campus music performances
Sat: Dance Marathon (24 hrs)
Sun: accupuncture
Mon: PWR paper #2 due (draft, but still)

And then I'm done. Wooooooo...

I've also been on a nail polish hiatus, until my gross eczema-ed fingers heal. I started putting Desonide on it, and it seems to work. When I start NP again, I'm going to do OPI You Don't Know Jacques on my tips and China Glaze Emerald Sparkle on my toes. Yeah, I know I don't have a toe polish ban, but I just haven't had time to do them. (Yet I have time to write out this blog post? If mum were here, she'd give me the look. I just know it.)