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The music of the most popular operas is so highly esteemed, it can stand endless revivals.

I've always loved opera; it never occurred to me that I would write a proper libretto.

I think Mozart's operas 'The Marriage of Figaro' and 'Don Giovanni' are the two most perfect ever written. The music is magical.

The great opera composers were so good at their job, that the whole genre came to be built around the concept of the composer's vision.

Sometimes, going to see one opera is hard because you don't know the genre. Good opera is like good wine. There are so many varieties, and it helps to inform you about what you like when you see a lot.

Opera is one of the most important art forms. It should be listened to and appreciated by everyone.

I've always gravitated towards opera, and the Royal Opera House is quite possibly the greatest opera house on earth.

I am not one of the great composers. All the great have produced enormously. There is everything in their work - the best and the worst, but there is always quantity. But I have written relatively little.

In opera, as with any performing art, to be in great demand and to command high fees you must be good of course, but you must also be famous. The two are different things.

If I felt that one of my operas did not come off I would certainly say so.