A profile of influential British-born artist David Hockney, who created opera sets and costumes until, in about 1993, a congenital hearing problem forced him to retire from that endeavor. Here, his final two years of working in opera are chronicled, including his last effort, Richard Strauss' “Die Frau Ohne Schatten.” Included: excerpts from operas by Mozart, Poulenc, Puccini, Ravel, Satie, Stravinsky and Wagner.