If you liked the movie RENT or the musical it's based on, you might be interested to discover that RENT itself is based on the opera La Boheme by Giaccomo Puccini.
It has always been easier for me to approach an opera from the arias, usually the best-known parts of the opera, and work my way from there. In this case, the first act of Boheme has a triplet of beautiful consecutive arias. The tenor aria Che Gelida Manina, the soprano aria Mi Chiamano Mimi, and the duet O Soave Fanciulla.
By all means, read the synopsis, then read the lyrics, imbibe the poetry, and enjoy how lyrics and music work together with the singers.
My two favorite versions of this opera are the recording with a young Luciano Pavarotti and Mirella Freni (where the piece completely succumbs to Pavarotti's voice, while Freni matches him with great authenticity and lyricism), and the version with Placido Domingo and Monserrat Caballe (Domingo is powerful and passionate, while Caballe shows off her impossible pianissimos). If you want to see how it's done more contemporarily, get a video with Rolando Villazon and Anna Netrebko.
