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RIP

Yes he could sing. But he could he act? No. Was he an enormous, lard-arsed, tax-dodging parody of himself? Yes. Give me Erwin Schrott any old day of the week.

Whatever else, Chatterji, he helped bring the classical world to the ordinary man in the street. I don't like opera---probably because I don't understand it---but more people are aware of it due to Mr P.

Supposedly they're selling tickets to the funeral - only a Tenor !clown!

True, but only one aria really.

I like some operas (Mozart, Beethoven and some of the Italians) and hate others (Wagner - massive, complex, but pompous and overbearing). I don't think you need to understand the musical complexity to enjoy it...or not. So much elitest wank is spoken about opera in this country, when the truth is that the average libretto is a load of shite. It's the music and voices that make or break it. All music's about emotion and communicating it, basically, whether it's The Clash, Klaxons, Public Enemy or Verdi. I think we're all conditioned in Britain to see opera as difficult, not for us, screechy and boring with audiences full of wankers. It's not really like that...apart from a significant sector of the audience.

Like most people I had no classical music at home as a kid, I got into it through playing in bands and via a very sweet girlfriend who was a fucking awesome fiddle player. She taught me a lot, especially about clever fingers!