Aria to match the word of the day: Recondita armoni

Dictionary.com's word of the day is the fabulous but underused "recondite," meaning, briefly, profound or esoteric.

I can't hear the word without thinking of one of my favorite arias:

"Recondita armonia" from Puccini's Tosca.

The tenor aria is sung by the character of the artist Maria Cavaradossi, who is pondering the difference between the beauty of his beloved, the brunette Tosca, and the blond woman he is painting.

The full line: "recondita armonia di bellezza diversa"

"Profound harmonies of diverse beauties."

When Tosca makes her entrance a bit later, she doesn't find the fact that he's painting a blond harmonious at all. In fact, she is doubtful that the woman is as "ignota" unknown, to him as he says. Or perhaps she's just playing jealous, so that the two can have a fabulous row, and then make up.

As she exits, Tosca gets the last word in, adding
"ma falle gli'occhi neri."

But let her eyes be black.

Here, a Cavaradossi for the ages, Luciano Pavarotti.