I think Therion are pretty good.

will have a look

I love opera!

Look into 'Maria Callas' her voice is beautiful. I would recommend La mamma morta

Madame Butterfly...a definite yes...but I'm assuming you are already aware of the famous operas if you have been listening to the genre for a while. Lakme by Delibes is wonderful (It has that famous duet that used to be on the British Airways commerical). Also...if you want something really different....try some modern ones. Le Grand Macabre by Gyorgy Ligeti is pure genius (but brace yourself if you're not used to the avant-garde). Ghosts of Versaille by John Corigliano is also fabulous but you have to buy the VHS video. A recording does not exist. It is being shown at the Metropolitan in NY in 2010(?) or something like that.

I have great respect for the composers, performers etc., but opera just doesn't float my boat for the most part. To each his own though, I'm not going to knock anybody for listening to it.

I'll occasionally listen to portions of some of the more famous operas by greats such as Mozart, Rossini, Verdi, Wagner etc., but I just can't sit and listen to opera for hours at a time.

opera is the great. its a high art of both singing and acting. i enjoy listening to opera/musicals but i definitely don't know that much about it.

the opera/musicals that i could remember the names of are the super popular ones... but i have listened/seen each of them between 5-10 times. specifically i think the story in 'phantom of the opera' is amazing.

these make for GREAT choices when you have a road trip and need something to hold your attention for more that 42 minutes.

cats, phantom of the opera, les miserables (drool), jesus christ superstar are some of the ones i really enjoy.

Absolutely abhor OPERA. I can appreciate the incredible talent that goes into it, but all that warbling drives me insane. Maybe if someone can recommend a nice gentle one to start with, then who knows? I'm never completely closed off to any genre I don't like (which is'nt many to be honest).

Below is a list of some of the most popular and more bearable ones to listen to.

Don't try to listen to any of these in one sitting, insanity followed by the onset of rigor mortis could result. :tramp:

Listen to one act per sitting.

Wagner--The Valkyrie
Wagner--The Mastersinger of Nuremburg
Mozart--The Marriage of Figaro
Mozart--The Magic Flute
Rossini--William Tell
Rossini--The Barber of Seville
Johann Strauss II--The Bat
Verdi--Aida
Puccini--Madame Butterfly
Tchaikovsky--Eugene Onegin

i guess what i called opera is probably more musical, but really check out any of those if that i listed. les miserables is about a revolution and a prisoner and its a really good story. get the original london cast recording, its a MUST.