Mixed excerpt:::
Opera is like any other art – it has tricks, layers, nuances, and styles, but it should in the end come down to what you like. Anyone treating it solely as an intellectual problem or a status symbol is missing the point…Opera was the TV of it’s day, you brought the family, laughed at the jokes, ate from the concessions stands, applauded a good scene and booed a bad one…Most first time opera goers are surprised by how very little other operas resemble this snapshot impression formed by commercials, books by culture vultures, and poorly written TV shows…