Hidden Arias; Can't get a ticket to Glyndebourne? Don't despair. Other good opera abounds.

Byline: Andrew Moravcsik, Moravcsik teaches government and directs the European Union Center at Harvard University.

Of the 2 million fans who will attend an opera in Europe this summer, one third will visit a single spot: the ancient Roman arena of Verona, where the performances are crowd-pleasing ("Aida," "La Boheme"), the stagings monumental, the casts strong, the sound clear and the setting incomparably romantic. Few who have gone can forget the sight of 16,000 spectators holding candles as the overture begins, in keeping with local tradition.

Many, however, seek a more intimate encounter. The real promise of summer opera, after all, is that a peaceful and leisurely setting will concentrate our minds on the esthetic experience in a way that running to the theater after work cannot. For such listeners, the first thought is often: how can I get a ticket to one of the "big three" European opera festivals--Bayreuth in Germany, Glyndebourne in Britain or Salzburg in Austria? If you have to ask, forget it. Would-be pilgrims to Bayreuth, where Wagner's operas are performed in a theater the composer designed, should start planning now for the summer of 2014. At Glyndebourne, only "friends" of the festival--i.e., those who contribute big wads of cash--get new tickets. And the management has even closed the waiting list for those who want to give money. A ticket to Salzburg can run you $400.

Do not despair, opera fans. There are plenty of other deeply stirring performances to be enjoyed this summer. The trick is to find the out-of-the-way spots where innovative musicians--often with younger singers--are setting the agenda. NEWSWEEK scouted out five current operatic trends and the best places to experience them:

Resurgent Russia: The Soviet bloc developed a superb system for training young talent in opera (as in chess). With the collapse of communism, young Russian and Eastern European singers have taken over stages around the world. Now, under the dynamic leadership of superstar conductor Valery Gergiev, the 221-year-old Mariinsky Opera Company in St. Petersburg has vaulted again to the eminence it held a century ago. This year it performs Verdi and an entire Wagner "Ring," as well as under-appreciated Russian repertoire in which it reigns supreme.

Bravo baroque: The operatic world has recently rediscovered baroque opera from the 17th and early 18th centuries. Works by Handel, Rameau, Scarlatti and other long-neglected opera composers are being performed again. That's good news for the generation of vocalists taught to sing in the subtly enchanting baroque style, accom-panied by delicate "original" instruments--violins with gut strings, horns without valves. The top spot for baroque opera is Beaune, two hours from Paris on the TGV. This summer some of baroque's best conductors--William Christie, Marc Mankowski and Sigiswald Kuijken--will be on ...