Mad Love: An Introduction to OperaA lively introduction to opera, from the Renaissance to the twenty first century There are few art forms as visceral and emotional as opera and few that are as daunting for newcomers. A Mad Love offers a spirited and indispensable tour of opera's eclectic past and present, beginning with Monteverdi's L'Orfeo in 1607, generally considered the first successful opera, through classics like Carmen and La Boheme, and spanning to Brokeback Mountain and The