Opera Quotes

“The idea of an opera for television has to do with the fact that you can get very close to the person.”

“I wanted to invent a new kind of opera, an American opera. The idea of American opera has been a problem for 150 years because of the problem of the language.”

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.”

“Opera is the one place where you can be completely irrational.”

“My operas are about a kind of landscape of characters and events. They’re not about a particular story, like a story that you would tell your friend.”

“No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible.”

“An opera is a collection of beautiful lies.”

“In Italy, opera is not just entertainment; it's part of our DNA.”

“It is very sad that I have not been able to find a libretto that is both original and interesting.”

“When I have a role to create, I have to be the person. I have to be the character. I have to think like her. I have to feel what she feels. I can't be myself.”

“When I write an opera, I think of the singers; I think of their voices; I think of what will show them off.”

“An opera house is a graveyard for old sopranos.”

“This is a serious house for serious artists.”

“Love is a rebellious bird that nobody can tame.”

“For me, the opera is a passion, a madness, an obsession.”

“Ecco il mondo.”

“Ave, Signor, perdona se il mio gergo si lascia un po' da tergo.”

“My Prince Igor is essentially a national opera, which can be of interest only to us Russians.”

“In summer I will get on with Prince Igor. I am ashamed to confess it, but my opera is getting on very slowly.”

“An opera begins long before the curtain goes up and ends long after it has come down. It starts in my imagination, it becomes my life, and it stays part of my life long after I've left the opera house.”