--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was interested in opera and it seemed…" description: "\"I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the only possible theatre for contemporary opera would be television. So I started working towards a..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/robert-ashley-53534_contemporary_i-was-interested-in-opera-and-it-seemed_1778758.jpg" --- # I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the… ![“I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the only possible theatre for contemporary opera would be television. So I started working towards a kind of television kind of opera.” quote by Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/robert-ashley-53534_contemporary_i-was-interested-in-opera-and-it-seemed_1778758.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/robert-ashley-53534_contemporary_i-was-interested-in-opera-and-it-seemed_1778758.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/826/robert-ashley-53534_contemporary_i-was-interested-in-opera-and-it-seemed_1778758.jpg) > “I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the only possible theatre for contemporary opera would be television. So I started working towards a kind of television kind of opera.” [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Television can serve as a modern stage for opera, expanding its reach. **In simple terms:** TV as opera venue. Key Takeaway Explore new media formats. Themes innovation media opera Mood experimental optimistic Type artistic inspirational When to use this quote - broadcasting - digital platforms - educational programming Key Concepts television contemporary performance technology artistic adaptation Questions to Reflect On - How does TV change audience perception? operaWhat challenges arise in adapting opera for screen? A Different Perspective TV may dilute operatic depth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Opera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opera/) [Television](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/television/) [Theatre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/theatre/) ## Related quotes > [Opera on television in Europe is very important. If you think about it in the broadest sense: a lot of the dramas made in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/opera-on-television-in-europe-is-very-important-if-you-think-about-it/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) > [I had always been interested in opera, going back to my college days at Carnegie Mellon. In my last year there, I even wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-schwartz/i-had-always-been-interested-in-opera-going-back-to-my-college-days/) [Stephen Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-schwartz/) > [Parsifal - the kind of opera that starts at six o'clock and after it has been going three hours, you look at your watch…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-randolph/parsifal-the-kind-of-opera-that-starts-at-six-o-clock-and-after-it/) David Randolph > [I think that opera in Europe is 30 years ahead of America. There is a broader range of material presented to the public. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-wilson/i-think-that-opera-in-europe-is-30-years-ahead-of-america-there-is-a/) [Robert Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-wilson/) > [I'd really been interested in opera when I was about 16, and I really like staging them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-beresford/i-d-really-been-interested-in-opera-when-i-was-about-16-and-i-really/) [Bruce Beresford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-beresford/) > [For years, I wasn't in the least bit interested in opera.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-mcburney/for-years-i-wasn-t-in-the-least-bit-interested-in-opera/) [Simon McBurney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-mcburney/) > [And whether or not you're interested in opera or classical music or folk music or the theatre, I think that for a nation's health…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lesley-sharp/and-whether-or-not-you-re-interested-in-opera-or-classical-music-or/) [Lesley Sharp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lesley-sharp/) > [I conclude that the Wagnerian operas which are already in the repertoire, and other masterworks as well, stand in no further need of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-liszt/i-conclude-that-the-wagnerian-operas-which-are-already-in-the/) [Franz Liszt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-liszt/) > [My worry is that opera will become an historic art form as opposed to a living, breathing thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-fleming/my-worry-is-that-opera-will-become-an-historic-art-form-as-opposed-to/) [Renee Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-fleming/) > [I never wanted to be an opera singer. I wanted to be an actress, maybe a rock singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristine-opolais/i-never-wanted-to-be-an-opera-singer-i-wanted-to-be-an-actress-maybe/) [Kristine Opolais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristine-opolais/) > [If you put together all the ingredients that naturally attract children - sex, violence, revenge, spectacle and vigorous noise - what you have is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-martin/if-you-put-together-all-the-ingredients-that-naturally-attract/) [Judith Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-martin/) > [My horizon on humanity is enlarged by reading the writers of poems, seeing a painting, listening to some music, some opera, which has nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/my-horizon-on-humanity-is-enlarged-by-reading-the-writers-of-poems/) [Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/) > [All My Children taught me a great work ethic; you work so hard on a soap opera! It is a good way to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-larue/all-my-children-taught-me-a-great-work-ethic-you-work-so-hard-on-a/) [Eva LaRue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-larue/) > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I studied classical opera, so I was always singing in Italian and German and French.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wang-leehom/i-studied-classical-opera-so-i-was-always-singing-in-italian-and/) [Wang Leehom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wang-leehom/) ## More by Robert Ashley > [Do not rely on unplanned music; it comes out as though it were planned, but planned by someone you cross the street to avoid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/do-not-rely-on-unplanned-music-it-comes-out-as-though-it-were-planned/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) > [“I don't think there's any heroism anymore. The heroism has to be created out of the medium itself. Going back to the idea of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/i-don-t-think-there-s-any-heroism-anymore-the-heroism-has-to-be/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) > [If a piece of music is under three minutes long, it's rock. Over three minutes, it's classical.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/if-a-piece-of-music-is-under-three-minutes-long-it-s-rock-over-three/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) > [Opera on television in Europe is very important. If you think about it in the broadest sense: a lot of the dramas made in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/opera-on-television-in-europe-is-very-important-if-you-think-about-it/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) > [“I like to talk about America. It's so mysterious.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ashley/i-like-to-talk-about-america-it-s-so-mysterious/) [Robert Ashley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) [Explore all 6 Robert Ashley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ashley/) ## More Contemporary quotes > [In the future, I would like to do more films with contemporary themes. Perhaps comedy, which is something I have done in theater but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-evans/in-the-future-i-would-like-to-do-more-films-with-contemporary-themes/) [Luke Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-evans/) > [Personally, I prefer contemporary films, but the market calls for more period choices, especially since China opened up a cinema market in Hong Kong.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donnie-yen/personally-i-prefer-contemporary-films-but-the-market-calls-for-more/) [Donnie Yen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donnie-yen/) > [“Men circle like bees around honey, buzzing to communicate their sexual despair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carla-h-krueger/men-circle-like-bees-around-honey-buzzing-to-communicate-their-sexual/) [Carla H Krueger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carla-h-krueger/) > [What really concerns me is for Christians to understand the fundamentals of evangelism in a way that is helpful in the contemporary scene.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/what-really-concerns-me-is-for-christians-to-understand-the/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [“And for God's sake, don't let her watch Cinderella. What kind of example is that? A mindless twit who can't even remember where she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-chase/and-for-god-s-sake-don-t-let-her-watch-cinderella-what-kind-of/) [Emma Chase](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-chase/) > [On the one hand, we had great filmic spectacles that brought in big audiences, adults as well as primary and secondary school students. On…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrzej-wajda/on-the-one-hand-we-had-great-filmic-spectacles-that-brought-in-big/) [Andrzej Wajda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrzej-wajda/) > [“No." I pulled away just enough to lock my eyes with his. His crooked smile sent shivers down my spine. His eyes were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-witter/no-i-pulled-away-just-enough-to-lock-my-eyes-with-his-his-crooked/) [Stephanie Witter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-witter/) > [One of those blocks (that prevent the 'Middle East from entering the mainstream of modernity') is the orthodox tenet that the Koran and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-beichman/one-of-those-blocks-that-prevent-the-middle-east-from-entering-the/) [Arnold Beichman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-beichman/) > [The boundaries between contemporary art and cinema are so rigid. It's unbelievable. The film critics don't know my artwork and the art world doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agnes-varda/the-boundaries-between-contemporary-art-and-cinema-are-so-rigid-it-s/) [Agnes Varda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agnes-varda/) > [I'm educating myself more about world poetry. 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It's very contemporary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-goldblum/going-back-to-the-noir-fiction-of-the-30s-40s-and-50s-it-s-very/) [Jeff Goldblum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-goldblum/) > [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/) [Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/) > [“The contemporary world has turned its back on the attempt and even on the desire to live reasonably.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-santayana/the-contemporary-world-has-turned-its-back-on-the-attempt-and-even-on/) [George Santayana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-santayana/) > [No, it's interesting to remake a film for the contemporary audience today. I think it's a good idea; it needs to respect the original…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dario-argento/no-it-s-interesting-to-remake-a-film-for-the-contemporary-audience/) [Dario Argento](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dario-argento/) Browse all 1,586 Contemporary quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was interested in opera and it seemed to me that the only possible theatre for contemporary opera would be television. 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