I too can't understand how people can say "I can't stand opera". I can't stand some operas, & parts of some I enjoy other parts of, & it's not something I'd like to listen to & watch every week, let alone every day, but to me, it's like saying "I can't stand jazz". I find most jazz to be tedious & tuneless. I won't go to the local real ale & jazz festival, because of the jazz. But there are some pieces I love. And I like some opera enough to put up with the boring bits.
A form I like more than opera is the cantata. More singing, less acting. And always, always, the music comes first.
Les Noces - absolutely wonderful. And yeah, I know, it's got all that dancing in it, if properly staged. Aha! Essexian might like that. Well, if he can stand Stravinsky's music.