Opera concentrates the visual, performing, literary and language arts in a single package of glamour and glitz, intense emotion, unforgettable sights and sounds that stimulate the senses and intellect.

But! opera is over 400 years old. As such, it varies significantly in choice of story, in dramatic and musical treatment thereof, in singing styles and in degrees of relevance.

And! opera's complexity and variety of sensory input make great demands on audiences that have nowadays experienced more television and films than live performances.

Surtitles have been immensely useful in overcoming the traditional language barrier but there is more to opera than the story and advance preparation will add immeasurably to the performance.

Ann Thompson's material supplies background information about this wonderful art form that will make it linger in the memory long after the curtain has come down.