Mephistopheles in Your Living Room

When I mention to non-aficionado friends that I've been to the opera--most recently, to San Francisco Opera's wondrous Norma, by Vincenzo Bellini, with the dazzling, "once-in-a-generation" soprano Sondra Radvanovsky--they rarely say, "Oh, I don't like opera." More often, it's "Ooh, opera is so expensive." Well, yes and no. There are certainly other ways to see a production than paying for an orchestra seat. You can buy a cheaper seat or a standing-room ticket; in San Francisco, you can even see ...