Emotional impact of classical music

In listening to The Three Tenors I was reminded of the Raiel named Qatux from Peter F. Hamilton's science fiction stories, an alien with an addiction problem regarding experiencing preserved human emotions. While arias like Vesti la giubba from Pagliacci may even give me chills, I wonder if that's but another kind of emotional cheap thrill.

It's been some time since I much watched opera. In Providence and Boston I enjoyed watching PBS' Great Performances at The Met; they even had a version of The Magic Flute that my children liked, produced by Julie Taymor of The Lion King. Now I am starting to forget the narrative context of many arias. I don't have time these days to make a habit of refreshing my memory by watching opera so for now perhaps I have to accept that, rather than thinking about the characters and their situation, I'm just indulging in having others' emotion evoked in me as expressed by the singer.

Update: I now notice that Julie Taymor is also behind the adaptation of The Tempest with Helen Mirren that I have on DVD.