Perhaps the most difficult thing is shooting scenes set 6,000 feet up in the mountains of Mexico.

When the music and the characters are flawlessly synchronized, the opera develops an emotional force that movies and plays cannot match.

Directing an opera is similar to directing a play. The singing must not get in the way of the drama.

Everyone has seen photographs of Mexicans wearing those big sombreros. When you come to Mexico, the astonishing thing is, nobody wears these hats at all.

It is essential to do everything possible to attract young people to opera so they can see that it is not some antiquated art form but a repository of the most glorious music and drama that man has created.

There were movies that always made me want to be a director. You see brilliant scenes and the way the emotions were handled. I thought, I'd really like to do that.

The number of opera houses around the world and the high attendance rates show that opera an art form that is more popular than ever.