Thank you @kuvo for this long and inspiring post! There are some points where I don't agree. First operas in my Theatre in Wiesbaden don't cost 60 to 160 Euros, except for the premieres. You can get a good seat for the same prize as a ticket for the cinema. Second, Operas haven't been written fro the masses, they have since the classical period been written for the elite, higher class people who could afford the garderobe and the tickets. Third, even if the opera is in German, I sometimes don't even understand a word. And I never've read the libretto in advance. I enjoy the music and it's enough to read a description of the plot so you can follow it. But the whole production, the music, the sound, the smell of the theater, the musicians, the conducter, the artist and the stage together make very good impression. So you don't need to understand every word. And I don't like translated Operas also. It's like hearing Mary Poppins or West Side Story in German. Awful! For those who haven't been in an opera, just go there and try, and if you didn't like it for the first time, try another one. In most cases you won't get disappointed!