Opera not just for elite

Published: 7 May, 2010

• THE continued assertion that there is no future for opera, as it has priced itself out of most people’s reach, is tedious.
I attend the Royal Opera House (ROH), Covent Garden and the English National Opera (ENO) at the Coliseum about once a month. At the ROH, I regularly sit in the centre of the lower amphitheatre, which has excellent sight lines and wonderful acoustics. I pay between £60 and £80 for three hours of world-class singers and orchestras. At the ENO, for the same price, I sit in the best seats – and other tickets can be had for less.
To see 90 minutes of Premier League football (no bad thing), I pay out a similar amount, but do not see an array of the best players in the world. A good ticket for a Lord’s Test match costs £90.
Opera worldwide has never been more popular. Large and small companies draw big audiences, new opera houses are being built apace and the classic houses are being renovated. The idea that attending opera today is only for the elite and moneyed is absurd.
LARRY KLINGER
N7