Quote of the Day (Jessica Duchen, on Librettists as the Unsung Heroes of Opera)

“We tend to credit opera composers ahead of their librettists. But can you imagine Mozart without [Lorenzo] Da Ponte [pictured]? Verdi without Piave? Strauss without Hofmannsthal? Our favourite operas, such as Le nozze di Figaro, La traviata or Der Rosenkavalier would be nowhere without their words and their drama – provided by the writer. Composers might grumble, cajole or bully their wordsmiths, but they know on which side their bread is buttered.”— British journalist, music critic, novelist, playwright, and opera librettist Jessica Duchen, “A Way With Words,” BBC Music, February 2025