By Richard Fairman [Financial Times, 12 February 2007]

Right across Europe, it promises to be a noisy weekend. In Madrid there will be giant screens playing opera. Cafés in Lille are offering karaoke opera evenings. At English National Opera, would-be prima donnas can roll up to view a singing lesson and the Opéra national de Bordeaux is going one better with an open invitation to perform in full costume and make-up.