X-rated opera

MARK SWED’S review of “Tannhauser” [“Wagner Pornucopia,” Feb. 26] did not go far enough in describing how specifically pornographic the first 20 minutes of this production are. Sitting in the loge, the dim lighting was not enough to mask the simulated sex in all its graphic detail, nor the nudity. People around me walked out, and although I did not, I felt violated.

If I should choose to attend an X-rated movie (and I don’t choose!), that is my choice, and I am warned ahead. What appeared to be a clever advertising campaign did not prepare me, or those around me, for this perversion.

Further, I should not have to avoid an opera. There are plenty of places for those who want to indulge prurient interests. Excellent opera is harder to come by, and it should not be ruined by obscene staging. The chorus and orchestra came close to rescuing the evening, and the enthusiastic applause for them was deserved. But I left feeling slimed. Shame on the L.A. Opera.

ELIZABETH PATTERSON

La Canada