Mozart kicks the cr*p out of Wagner as a opera composer. Don Giovanni is worth 10 Ring Cycles.

Is this about something Stephen Fry said on his programme on Wagner? (the trailer where Fry is an apologist for his anti-semitism is bad enough)
It seems to be an elitist thing but even Glyndebourne acknowledge that in order to attract audiences they're having to put out Mozart operas like Cosi fan Tutte. I would probably put Verdi and Puccini at the top but Mozart and his successor in style Rossini are definitely number two for me.

Love The Magic Flute but yeh, I would put Puccini as the top opera composer.

Ring. More notes=better.

Completely agree. Compared to Mozart, Wagner was a witless, blustering hack.

I love Wagner. I always think it's a waste having a huge orchestra like that and not really going for the most ludicrously over-blown bombast.

The last Royal Opera production of the Ring was pretty shittily staged, though. The one before with John Tomlinson was far better.

Mozart vs Wagner????

Blimey, they are too very different styles of opera. I enjoy them both, but never, ever compare then, thinking one is better than the other.

I enjoy The Marriage of Figaro on merit, it is a lovely piece of work.

I also enjoy Gotterdammerung, not only for the music, but also the drama, which reaches out to grab the soul of the listener, especially during the final scene of the destruction of Valhalla.

To compare them, is a bit silly to be honest.

You either like one or the other, or both like I do.

To deny people the opportunity to compare them - and to say which one they prefer - is much, much sillier.

Mad King Ludwig of Bavaria and Hitler, two of the maddest people ever, thought Wagner was great.

While Wagner manages to find true emotion, Mozart is very reminiscent of scores generated by computer programs -- not so much melody or leitmotif as random scales played in series. Sorry, but Mozart leaves me cold.

Well Wagner was great! Wasnt he?