World Peace and Renee Fleming

http://youtube.com/watch?v=-Y_OihAJSyA
I'm totally and completely convinced that this one video will create world peace. Every person who has any sort of power in this world should listen to this before going into any conferences or before deciding whether to go to war. There would be a lot fewer problems!
I also think that to enjoy this to the full extent, you should read the words/translation along with it, it makes it a ton more meaningful:

Glück, das mir verblieb, Joy, that near to me remains,
rück zu mir, mein treues Lieb. Come to me, my true love.
Abend sinkt im Hag Night sinks into the grove
bist mir Licht und Tag. You are my light and day.
Bange pochet Herz an Herz Anxiously beats heart on heart
Hoffnung schwingt sich himmelwärts. Hope itself soars heavenward.
Wie wahr, ein traurig Lied. How true, a sad song.
Das Lied vom treuen Lieb, The song of true love,
das sterben muss. that must die.
Ich kenne das Lied. I know the song.
Ich hört es oft in jungen, I heard it often in younger,
in schöneren Tagen. in better days.
Es hat noch eine Strophe-- It has yet another verse--
weiß ich sie noch? Do I know it still?
Naht auch Sorge trüb, Though sorrow becomes dark,
rück zu mir, mein treues Lieb. Come to me, my true love.
Neig dein blaß Gesicht Lean (to me) your pale face
Sterben trennt uns nicht. Death will not separate us.
Mußt du einmal von mir gehn, If you must leave me one day,
glaub, es gibt ein Auferstehn. Believe, there is an afterlife.
(courtesy of aria-database.com)


I have something else that has been on my mind... Fleming-bashers. You people love to hate La Fleming, and love to hate her voice (and choice of, er, repertoire). I have wondered why for a long time, and also wondered why people are bashers at all. I don't claim to be innocent of bashing, because I often bash Mr. Roberto Alagna and Ms. Angela Gheorghiu. The thing is, I don't outwardly bash their amazing ability to sing things I probably never could, I just insult their intelligence and attitudes. =) I just feel that people are yelling and screaming at Renee for no good reason. They don't like what she's singing. Okay, well then don't listen!!! It's the quickest and most efficient way to avoid a singer! I really respect Ms. Fleming for not giving in to these people. She still sings what she wants, and that's the whole point, isn't it? You sing because you love it, don't you? Yeah, it's great if you're famous and all that, but you sing because you want to. Renee Fleming's got fame, fans, and a hell of a voice! That means, yes, she can do and sing what ever she wants! I don't know about the rest of you, but I'll listen to Renee any day of the week! Bashers, I think, want singers to sing exactly what they (the bashers) want and exactly how they want. So every basher wants something different; no swooping, no sobbing/gasping, no this, no that, and what ever else they say. When she puts emotion, or "too much emotion" ie. the gasping and sobbing, into songs and arias that means that she's singing the way she feels, which I think is wonderful. Going totally overboard is not so good, but if I was as famous as Renee and could sing like her and I wanted to put emotion into my songs, I'd go right ahead and do it! She has a right to sing because she loves it and put emotion into it! If she wants to make a jazz CD, fine! Don't buy it! See if she cares! She likes jazz too, is that so terrible? She likes to sing jazz, is that so bad? Apparently it is, but as long as you don't have to listen to it, does it really matter that much? In Renee Fleming's defence, I say let her sing what she wants how she wants, because some people out here want to hear her sing. I think this goes for every singer and every singer's group of bashers. Let them do what they want, for goodness sake. I'm going to have to swallow these words one day, I know it, but I'm sick of people hating on Renee because you can distinguish her voice from every other lyric soprano in the history of the world! Thank you for listening to these insane rambling about bashers and why it's a "no-no", so with that, I'm going to go watch the above youtube video a million times.
=)