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Old Jul 13, 2004 | 10:14 am
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francophile
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As WindFlyer mentioned, it's all about personal taste. Are you a stodgy Met traditionalist, or an avant-garde and hip NYC Opera type?

If you are somewhat new to opera, I would suggest the following:

Cosė fan tutte
La Traviata
Tosca
Der Fliegende Hollander (maybe)
Les Pecheurs de Perles (rarely performed)

I saw Ruth Ann Swenson in the role of La Contessa in Le Nozze di Figaro this past autumn at the Lyric Opera of Chicago. Her voice is truly beautiful though some opera buffs characterize here voice as colorless. Chacun a son gout. Dmitri Hvorstovsky has a solid baritone voice.

The general director of the Lyric Opera of Chicago once said that there are four pillars of opera: Mozart, Puccini, Verdi, and Wagner. Some will disagree, though I think it's a fair statement.

I personally hate experimental opera. I'd also rather spend an evening watching WWF than attend an opera performed in English (ok, that's an exaggeration).
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