What some singers think
'I'd like to keep working at the E o as a guest - I treasure that. When the audience is understanding the words and there's a good cross-section socially, you're well on the way to finding what opera's about. I was afraid of going to Covent Garden and being tempted by one or two good roles then deteriorating into endless gardeners and second priests. So I've opted for the last five years to do bigger roles at the E 10 rather than smaller ones at Covent Garden.' JOHN TOMLINSON in an interview in The Times
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'I am not against translations if you can get good singers to sing them, but you generally can't. Most singers will not bother because having learned a role they want to get their money out of it. Good singers are always in demand and they simply don't have the time to re-learn a role in English ... The houses which tend to perform in English use singers therefore who are not in the front rank, which then has a snowball effect, in that it prejudices people against opera in English and even against opera, because they never hear it performed at the highest level.' ROBERT LLOYD in an interview in the South African Arts Magazine, Scenaria
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'I will not accept things just because I will be paid thousands. I would love to gi ve up my international career if I could know I would be part of a company in a theatre somewhere in Europe, if for example, Kleiber or Giulini or Muti would be the music director and make a beautiful ensemble. I'll be happy to take part, and not to sing always the big roles. The wife of Clemens Krauss - she's Romanian, Viorica Ursuleac - told me that fifty years ago there was just such a beautiful company in Frankfurt under Krauss. The stars all sang not only big parts but also small roles to make a beautiful evening and it was fantastic'. ILEANA COTRUBAS in an interview in the American Opera News
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