  I just got The Fifth Element on DVD. Its been on my back catalogue want list for a while, and so I decided to finally break down and get a copy. The first thing I did was go directly to The Diva's aria. While I love the visuals and costumes for the film, the real reason for my love of this film is The Diva's aria. There is a scene in Shawshank Redemption where the Tim Robins inmate plays opera over the loudspeaker. Another character says something to the effect of - I don't know what se's saying, but this is the sound of freedom. Its been a while since I've seen the film, but this line stuck with me because the character is right as far as I'm concerned. I don't know how this works really, but when I hear an aria - I'd describe it as an out of body experience.
Even when the scene is tragic, there is so much life and beauty in the tragedy. When the scene is comic, my intestines turn to freshly blown soap bubbles, light, dancing, carefree. My mind is centered, focused. I could say that classical scoring does this for me as well, but not to the extent of opera. I think it might be because there is a vocal human emotion that goes along with the emotions on paper in front of the orchestra. Above all, when I hear opera, I feel relaxed - I lose what feels like 30 pounds. I also feel happy, as I have achieved a much needed - and very real, escape.
Even when it is the more intense stuff - Wagner pops to mind, actually, the name shoves its way to the front of my mind, trampling all others - there is that feeling that, and this is quite pretentious of me I know, but really - this is my drug. I hate sounding spiritual, but I honestly think that - in opera - I have found the "other plane" or whatever it is the new age people like to call it now. 
