Opera is one of those things that was "forced" upon me as a kid as my parents were "Deadheads" of the U.S. & European Opera Scene. My personal feelings towards opera is that there is no comparison to seeing it live...even more so than a "music only" event.
One of my primary reasonings is that there is more than just the music, there is a story to be followed...some very simple while others are quite complex. This leads to the foreign language issue that you mention...I myself need the supra-titles in the opera house to keep me up to speed with the story as I'm still somewhat of a newbie to the art.
I personally don't listen to opera on my system but if I were going to, I think that a better way to enjoy it would be with a dvd or laserdisc. Even though it isn't "live", you still get a chance to appreciate what different companies have to offer with the set/production design, the orchestra and you get subtitles to boot.
If it were just for music, I would have to say that the most beautiful opera I have heard is Bizet's 'The Pearl Fishers'
I would recommend hitting up the local library and seeing what they might have in their collections so you'll be able to see which version of an opera you might like the most...but definitely go see a live performance if you can...if it's a good one, you'll be in for a treat!
just my 2c...FWIW
enjoy!
Ellery
One of my primary reasonings is that there is more than just the music, there is a story to be followed...some very simple while others are quite complex. This leads to the foreign language issue that you mention...I myself need the supra-titles in the opera house to keep me up to speed with the story as I'm still somewhat of a newbie to the art.
I personally don't listen to opera on my system but if I were going to, I think that a better way to enjoy it would be with a dvd or laserdisc. Even though it isn't "live", you still get a chance to appreciate what different companies have to offer with the set/production design, the orchestra and you get subtitles to boot.
If it were just for music, I would have to say that the most beautiful opera I have heard is Bizet's 'The Pearl Fishers'
I would recommend hitting up the local library and seeing what they might have in their collections so you'll be able to see which version of an opera you might like the most...but definitely go see a live performance if you can...if it's a good one, you'll be in for a treat!
just my 2c...FWIW
enjoy!
Ellery