I'm pretty ambivalent when it comes to opera. Some of it I quite like (Rossini's The Barber of Seville, for example), but much of it isn't my favorite thing to listen to. A lot of this is purely personal predilection and nothing more; it's similar to the fact that I'm not crazy about asparagus (I'll eat it if it's there, but I won't go out of my way to find it or avoid it, unlike,say, broccoli...vile weed! But I digress...). In addition, my listening format really didn't do justice to opera. Opera is musical theater; it is meant to be seen as well as heard. However, since my workplace would likely frown on my watching opera at my desk, listening was all I had. So, while I acknowledge the importance of opera in the classical music tradition, I won't always have glowing things to say about it. This says much more about me than it does about opera, so take my thoughts with considerable seasoning. | 
