Opera for dummies

[snotrag]

As a 'yoof' my listening errs towards House music, Drum and bass, etc etc

I do however, often click over to classic FM for a short stint. I've found that I can stand a lot of it - slow, dull, 'chamber' style music. but some of it, I love - When its big, grand, theatrical, dynamic.

Hence, I've enjoyed some of the big Opera numbers I've heard on there. The kind of stuff you might expect to hear in a road test of an Italian supercar. Loud, thrilling, exciting music.

Any reccomendations? any 'compilations' worth buying?

[Don1]

This reminds me of a thread on another board (now sadly dead).
Someone asked exactly the same thing, but with a view of going to an opera. We managed to convince the poor fellow that in 'foreign langauage' operas, girls with the words on boxing-style boards would walk in front of the stage as a form of subtitle.

We also told him that to show your appreciation to the orchestra, then you throw cooked pasta at them (uncooked is too dangerous). Different pasta shapes go to different sections - spagetti to the strings etc, penne to the brass etc...

Sorry....Tosca is supposed to be very good. Faust also.

[smiller]

Opera is like all other types of classical music; love it hate it.

However.

I think I know what you want.....

Try googling the following:

Prelude to Act 3 of Lohengrin by Richard Wagner (not opera, but operatic)
The "Largo al Factotum" from Rossini's "Barber of Seville"
"O Soave Fanciulla" from La Boheme
"Una Furtiva Lagrima" by any tenor.
And - of course - "La Donna e Mobile" (search for Roberto Alagna on that one).