Waters skips over Rock Operas for actual Opera

[RonJonSurfer]

Roger Waters Turns From Rock to Opera

Pink Floyd rocker Roger Waters has written a traditional opera called "Ca Ira (There is Hope)" based on the French Revolution - but he's terrified it will be panned by critics unable to look past his rock and roll years.

The rocker dabbled with classical music in the Pink Floyd masterpiece 'The Wall' but this is the first time he has attempted to write a wholly classical piece - and he will showcase it in Rome in November.

Waters first started work on the unlikely project in 1989 with songwriter Etienne Roda-Gil but the project was postponed when Roda-Gil's wife Nadine lost her battle with leukemia.

He says, "I'm in some state of trepidation because I feel that I'm putting my head on the chopping block.

"It's actually very melodic and it's unashamedly emotional. So, if the intellectuals of the modern opera world are catty about it, so be it. I fully expect some resistance. There will be a lot of, `Who does he think he is?'

"It's not just a piece about the French Revolution, it's about revolution in a much broader sense, and it's about the capacity that human beings have for personal change. The piece is an exultation and an encouragement to those of us who believe the human race can discover its humanity and its capacity for empathy to the point where it may be possible for us at some point to guarantee basic human rights of the individual."