SRS, thank you for letting me know about PBS broadcasting The Ring Cycle. I was able to see the first two operas in HD at a movie theatre but could not see the last two operas. I have to say that I found the set to be distracting. I was always wondering how it would be twisted and turned next.

Elmore, I think Anna Netrebko is a delight. I also like Natalie Dessay and several others.

For anyone who thinks opera is too expensive, you might see if they are shown in HD in any movie theater near you. They are shown in many countries, not just the US. A link to that info is here. Even though it says US, on that page there are places to click for info for Canada and other countries. I usually go to the "Encores" which cost less than the "live" broadcasts. And yes, there are subtitles--even for the operas sung in English!
http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/liveinhd/unitedstates.aspx

The "Encores" cost about as much as most folk music concerts where I live. If that's too expensive, many are shown on PBS. In fact PBS designated a recent weekend as Opera Bash and showed many of the operas I had seen during the last few years. However, the reason I pay to see them at the movie theater is because when I watch at home I am too easily distracted. Also, I have a very small-screen TV and the subtitles are hard to read unless I sit very close to it.

Also you can see some operas for free on DVDs that most libraries own. Those are often not recent productions, library budgets being what they are.