Beyond credibility

Mary McNamara greatly oversimplifies the controversy surrounding the Royal Opera’s decision to replace Deborah Voigt in the title role of “Ariadne auf Naxos”(“Low Note for Divas,” March 12).

The production, which I was fortunate to see last year in London, does indeed revolve around a “sexy Ariadne,” as would any production that follows the script.

That Voigt is wrong for the role is not the triumph of image over substance, but rather a sensible artistic decision.

Opera has always been a fragile combination of sight and sound, words and music, with glorious music and singing able to transport an audience above lapses in what one sees on stage. But there are limits. Some of the tragically obese young women who have sung Wagner and Verdi at the Metropolitan Opera in recent years clearly exceed the limits of credibility, as does, alas, Deborah Voigt as Ariadne on stage.

David Lopez

West Los Angeles