Never has he been so at home as in Italy, land of food, wine, his beloved opera.and romance - which plays a leading role this time around.

Maybe they would let him listen to his beloved opera, or speak with his wife.

What they know is that a beloved old French opera was performed and someone wrote something bad about it.

He cannot get to see his beloved operas so often as he once did.

There's a lot to be said for starting the musical year by revisiting two of the most beloved operas in the repertory.

Puccini's "Bohème" of course has achieved its status as probably the most beloved (not to say overdone) opera in the canon.

To begin with, he lived only for his beloved opera; all else was inconsequential, necessary solely to keep body and musical soul together.

If overall the afternoon had a thrown-together quality, the heartiness and poignancy of Puccini's beloved opera still came through.

Why are these beloved operas so hard to perform?

The third is Mozart's "Magic Flute" (2292-45469-2), and a new recording of that, one of the world's most beloved and intriguing operas, is always news.