Not three of us on an Opera thread? We're ruining our reputation!
As to the comments on texts, I have to say I have to have those subtitles the first time through, I do want to understand what the story is. But after that first time I'm happy to switch them off and just enjoy the beauty of the music.
Since all of our viewing of Operas has to be done at home, does anyone have some favorite ones on video or dvd to recommend?