Instead of pulling an Elvis and shooting my T.V., I sought relaxation and diversion in classical music.  Eventually I even learned to appreciate opera more than I thought possible. Let snobs beware; I’m cranking Carmen in my ten-year-old Ford.   When a piece of music calls out to me like a lover calls to his mate -- I must claim it and know everything about it.  I want to know the composer, the writer of the libretto (if applicable), the singer (if applicable), and all the succulent details regarding the history of the piece.  The histories are so complex they can lead you from a palace in Versailles to the slums of Charleston, South Carolina.   Piece them all together and you form the staves that Western civilization is played on.   Let’s start with one of the most beautiful songs in history, “Song to the Moon.”  Even the name of the opera that spawned it is enchanting: Rusalka. It’s the name of a water...(Read Full Article)