Our affectionate, snazzily opinionated reader Crew Mantle has just pawsted a comment full of his trademark sprezzatura where he rates opera houses in first, second tier, and provincial.
OC thinks that the list -- and guidelines -- make a lot of sense (even if she might move one up, one down, when reading CM's list, esp. because we do think that San Francisco's audience is definitely first class).
But the debate is worthy: rate opera houses. First Class or coach?
Here's CM's comment:
Top Tier (in no order as they are equal)
Teatro alla Scala
The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden
The Metropolitan Opera
Opéra National de Paris
Deutsche Oper Berlin
Teatro dell'Opera di Roma
Gran Teatro del LiceuSecond Tier (in no order as they are equal)
Chicago Lyric
San Francisco Opera
Sydney Opera
El Palacio de Bellas Artes
Teatro Colon
Gran Teatro La Fenice
Wiener StaatsoperProvincial Houses
All the rest.
As we said, we might not agree 100% with the rating above -- actually, we'd move SF up and Paris down, and La Scala is in serious danger of slipping in the second tier by 2010 or even '09 -- but it does make a lot of sense.
Now, dear readers, here's your chance to make your voice heard. Just behave and be nice to each other, or OC will have one of her butlers spank you. In a not sexy way.