There's nowt wrong with enjoying opera without understanding the words if that lights your fire. I've been to just one opera with surtitles (Carmen) and they didn't distract me too much and I'm glad I had them, though I didn't watch them slavishly. I saw a lovely production of Magic Flute which was in English and in my mind that knocked off a star. If I'm listening at home I'll have the libretto to hand though I won't be glued to it. We should remember that opera was never meant to be a difficult art-form for cognescenti only. There's a story that Mozart arrived home delighted that he'd heard people in the streets whistling tunes from the Magic Flute, and Verdi was a popular hero in Italy. As with all music we all take from it whatever we like and that could be different things at different times. Nothing better than a Mozart concerto when you're peeling the spuds and carrots. Or even a bit of opera!