The story of how opera developed into the grand and popular entertainment it would be for the next two and one-half centuries is a fascinating one. The art form had to come to Venice, home of Carnevale, to have its first smash hit, first prima donna, and include  lyrical arias and comic scenes. We’ll enjoy excerpts from these 17th century works, in which you will recognize the roots of the great operas that  followed by Handel, Mozart, and the French, German, Russian and Italian Romantics.