When Opera is New and Unproved
By Anne Midgette
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, September 7, 2008

“In the ongoing quest to broaden opera’s appeal, contemporary opera is one arrow in a sparely filled quiver. New operas are based on world events, current movies, popular books. Their music is written by funky living composers. And yet, earnest, thoughtful and filled with worthy music though they be, they seldom find the same resonance as art films, or literary fiction. In fact, people who go to see an opera based on a book they liked often come away disappointed.”