The music director of London’s Royal Opera House is questioning the commitment of today’s opera singers.

Antonio Pappano says they are either “weaker in their bodies or they don’t care.”

Pappano’s comments came after several singers pulled out of contracts over the past twelve months.

He acknowledged that today’s singers are under greater pressure. He says rehearsal periods are longer, primarily because many operas are now filmed; the custom of trimming operas has stopped, and singers now have to sing longer performances; and they travel more than they ever did before.

But he said all this means they have to learn to take care of themselves. Pappano says, in the days of Placido Domingo, a contract “meant something”.