| ople will tell you they like opera without going into | | | | into each of its three major periods; explains (in a |
| specifics. Apart from the few thousand opera | | | | humorous manner) what you, the listener, should |
| buffs who never miss a performance, there | | | | look for in a performance, in great detail; |
| mighty be millions of potential fans whose love of | | | | illustrates his points with excerpts from various |
| opera falls victim to the marketing strategies the | | | | operas and pictures and lyrics in the brochure that |
| music industry currently employs. | | | | comes with the package. By the time |
| Folks with only a smattering of opera knowledge | | | | you’re done listening to the guide, you |
| get burned by attending inadequate performances | | | | realize you know it all. You know exactly which |
| and/or inferior operas, or buying recordings that | | | | shows to attend (and/or bring your date to); |
| make them erroneously conclude that, even | | | | which recordings to purchase; which |
| though some of opera sounds beautiful, it is | | | | performances to avoid; and how to hold your |
| generally not for them. Others get turned off | | | | own in a conversation about opera with anyone, |
| when, thanks to opera’s powers-that-be | | | | including certified experts. |
| self-defeating efforts, they assume that in order | | | | On the product’s website, a hilarious (and |
| to really appreciate opera, one has to spend | | | | telling) sample — a foretaste — is |
| years studying and researching it. | | | | provided. You can download it for free. It |
| All those fears and unfortunate assumptions are | | | | illustrates the point Ricardo makes about tempi |
| swept away by Getting Opera, an audio | | | | (the guide explains what tempi is, or should be; as |
| guide that teaches you to love and understand | | | | a matter of fact, all opera terminology that you |
| opera, all of it, in less than three hours. Amazingly, | | | | need to know in order to fully enjoy a |
| during that brief time interval, the author of this | | | | performance is explained in such a way you will |
| highly entertaining half-seminar, half-show, touches | | | | grasp it instantly). |
| upon the entire history of opera; goes extensively | | | | |