Yes, Sondheim has explained his attitude toward opera in general and SWEENEY as not being one. On page 332 of FINISHING THE HAT, wherein he makes the aforementioned argument that "opera is something that is performed in an opera house in front of an opera audience," he opts for SWEENEY as being a "dark operetta," "the closest I can come" to labelling it. "'Opera' implies stentorian singing."
It's worth reading all his references to opera: see the indexes to both volumes of his Collected Lyrics. The page 332 references I've excerpted are actually called "Sondheim's distaste for" in the index. On page 334 he states "a chance to sing excuses everything, even dramatic logic."
Page 150 of FINISHING THE HAT has been cited in the index as "bombast and lack of clarity in opera." Page 146: "I have successfully avoided enjoying opera all my life." Page 147: he acknowledges his "condescension toward opera."
There's much more, of course, on all these pages as to his thinking about opera. |
