It’s not an easy life being an opera singer.  You might think it’s all schmoozing and jet-setting and “rah rah rah”; stabbing baritones, snogging tenors, and making sopranos pull unsightly faces; desperately hoping the bass doesn’t sit on you.  It might appear to be all fur coats, costume jewellery and post-show drinking, but, for the most part, its a lot of humming and “VVV-ing” and trying to get your tongue around languages you have no knowledge of, all in your very own bedroom – on a train, a bus, a dog walk, in your sleep…

But, this blog isn’t about that.  This is going to be a place you can come to get some fun insights into operas currently on in London and around the world. We’re going to talk about characters, plots, and what the librettist and composer were thinking of as well as which women or men they happened to be cavorting with.

The number of times I have heard people bang on about how messy and dreadful opera plots are makes my head spin, but I disagree.  If you’ve ever read a sci-fi novel, watched a soap or attempted to understand Downtown Abbey, then you have suffered more than enough plot twists to be able to fathom even the trickiest opera.

I want you to be able to go to the opera understanding just what is going on as well as a little bit about the genre itself and the context.  More than that, I want you to be able to enjoy the shows the way I enjoy them; as wonderful stories, excellent theatre, and overwhelming spectacle with the added bonus of stunning, soul-snatching, music.