I love the Met!

Tom and I went to see Avatar yesterday afternoon. This was his first 3D movie and he was just as amazed by it as I was the first time I saw it. This was my first time seeing a movie more than once at the theatre, and it was just as magical as it was the first time around.

I've been keeping up with my homework--this was the second week in a row in which I had everything finished by the weekend.

However, last semester I did well during the first two weeks--and then got completely derailed during Week Three, so I admit I'm a bit nervous about this coming week.

The Met played Carmen on Saturday, and by the end I'd named it my fourth favourite opera. Afterwards I posted a thank you note on their Facebook wall: "THANK YOU for helping me to name "Carmen" as my fourth favourite opera this afternoon! BRAVISSIMO!!" I've been listening to various pieces from the opera since forever--Tom has a recording of Suites 1 and 2 by l'Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal--but I completely fell under the spell of the MOO's version (all in a day's work for them). And since I was so familiar with so many of the pieces I couldn't resist humming/singing along.

Here are some videos from '87 of the MOO playing the Overture,

the Entr'acte from Act II,

the Entr'acte from Act III,

and the Entr'acte from Act IV.

I love watching an orchestra play. As I watch, I think about all the practising and rehearsing that went into the pieces that they're playing, and the teamwork needed to pull it all off (especially when said orchestra is as big as the MOO--if you count every single musician on the orchestra roster page, the total is a hundred and forty-five musicians).

One more thing: the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra RULES (these videos prove it)!