If I were to mock operagoers, it would not be the minority of true aficionados who go because they love it but the people that bulk out the audience and are there purely in order to be seen to be there...
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Several years ago, the late Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti was booed at Milan's La Scala opera house because his voice broke on a high note in the second act of DON CARLOS. Poor Luciano was horrified and apparently locked himself in his dressing room. He was not booed by the the wealthy politicians, diplomats and industrialists in the orchestra. He was booed by the people up in the "gods", the so-called "logginisti".
He was questioned about this incident on the American network newsmagazine, 60 MINUTES. Here is what he said to the interviewer, Mike Wallace;
"There are people who live to go to the opera every night. They give all their love to the opera. They think that they are the ultimate judges of what is going to happen there, and they think they have the right to applaud or to boo. If you want to know my opinion, THEY ARE RIGHT."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IW-I0mVkYe4