THE OPERA IS TOO DAMN LONG

Took in Carmen last Friday night at the Lyric, and while departing the house heard repeated variations on the well-worn theme, "I liked it, but it was a little long..."

Seriously - how many thousands of times do we have to hear this from operagoers before WE JUST CUT THE DAMN SHOWS? This is killing opera. The composers are dead, OK? They aren't going to mind. Among the living you'll offend 18 purists and draw cries of gratitude and relief from everyone else. I love opera but there isn't a show in the repertory that runs more than three hours without stretches that drag. Let's get rid of those stretches. Please.

Comments

[J.]

Lordy, are you being serious here Roberto ?!

You want to start making excisions just because a few people... (er, philistines) can't appreciate a full length operatic masterpiece ?

[Bob]

Haha. I must be one of those Philistines. Because I'm struggling to stay fully awake throughout these full-length masterpieces, and so are a number of my neighbors in a section filled with subscribers, including my main opera-going partner, who is not only a seasoned operagoer but a more-than-decent classical musician. Let's be honest instead of pretending we appreciate something that isn't there. Some of these old diamonds have more than a little rough. Karajan trimmed Lucia. The Lyric can trim Carmen.

[Jane Ennis]

Well, I think TOSCA is too damn short!! Not getting my money's worth.....

[Bob]

I agree about Tosca! I'm not saying EVERY opera needs cutting. And Tosca is a reasonable length to begin with, two and a half hours.

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