Peter Goldstein wrote:

>Opera is probably the least intellectual of classical music forms,
>relying as it does on spectacle and (usually) a lose musical structure,
>sometimes merely a succession of pieces related only by their relevance
>to an extramusical text.

I really don't want to get into a debate about the intellectual quotient
of Opera music; it varies from one opera to the next, and I approach it
on a case-by-case basis.  I did want to point out that there are a great
many folks who love opera but have little use for the other categories of
classical music.  I'm sure this applies to the Boston vicinity as well.  I
think it's reasonable to assume that a fine opera house in Boston providing
highly professional performances would do very well at the box office.  At
least, those are my perceptions from my being raised in the area.  I have
not been back to Boston since the 1970's and can't say that I miss it much
- too cold and too much rain.  I have become accustomed to the Albuquerque
sunshine - day after day after day etc.  I haven't had the need for a
raincoat since I moved out here in 1987.

Although I infrequently attend concerts or opera productions, my preference
would be for opera.  You get music *and* some kind of story.  I know my
wife would be much more likely to maintain interest with an opera.  She
actually enjoyed Moore's "Ballad of Baby Doe" when we attended in Boston or
New York or Louisville (connecting events to locations gets harder as the
years pile up).

Don Satz
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