Opera Quotes

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

“An opera is a collection of beautiful lies.”

“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.”

“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.”

“Verdi is the composer of the people. He speaks to the heart.”

“The Three Tenors was a way of bringing opera to the people.”

“The thing that I wanted to do was to create an American opera.”

“I am an actress who sings.”

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

“This is a serious house for serious artists.”

“The movement in my films is inspired by Peking Opera.”

“Opera is the most complete art form. It includes music, drama, art, and costumes.”

“I have written my own libretti. It's a great advantage.”

“I always write for the theater. The music must serve the drama.”

“A libretto is not a literary work. It is a guide for a composer.”

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

“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.”

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

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