Originally Posted by the.mezzo

I don't know if I consider them "dumbed down." The arrangements of the works are incredible, and the people singing them have so much passion about opera! They are all huge fans themselves, which is of course lovely to know. But about prefering a composer's original orchestration, I completely understand what you mean. I find all of the original compositions to be ten times greater than the rock version, but I really admire people like The East Village Opera Company who are trying to get people to go back to classical music. As an opera-obsessed teenager, I am incredibly aware of how unappreciative my peers are to classical music. I have a few friends, however, that I convinced to listen to this rock opera, and after doing so have now begun to listen to their original compositions, and have already bought season tickets for our local opera company's performances coming up. If these "dumbed down" versions of songs get people to appreciate the true work, isn't it worth it all?