21.   Opera buffs would note, however, that Dupin has composed a fluent score in which the wordless arias, mostly fragmentary, are not heard in order.

22.   Some opera buffs have suggested that City Opera return to its former home at City Center.

23.   Some opera buffs will consider this approach as true to the Italian operatic style that values melodic continuity and vocal evenness.

24.   What opera buff has not stumbled over a life-size cutout of the photogenic Ms. Bartoli while rifling the classical bins at HMV or Virgin?

25.   While the countertenor revival may come as a revelation to some opera buffs, pop fans might be more familiar with the approach.

26.   Will opera buffs dismiss it as middlebrow fluff?

27.   But the disc will probably appeal more to pop fans seeking to expand their musical diet than to opera buffs.