This idea was really the brainchild of guitarist and songwriter Pete Townshend, who wanted to push the compositional opportunities of the rock song into new territory.

The original album was born from a desire to create a recording that not only had Top 10 hits, but a story with a clear concept and character development. Written during the experimental 1960s by one of the world’s loudest rock bands, The Who, Tommy changed the trajectory of how music could be created and incorporated into theatrical works. This trend continues to this very day and is seen across Victorian Opera’s Season 2021 in works like the world premiere double bill of Echo & Narcissus / Cassandra, whose music straddled the glittering contemporary pointillism alongside the powerful and driving rhythm of modern life Lorelei, which embraced a wide and varied musical palette of pastiche, film music, experimental techniques and musical theatre and most obviously in The Who’s Tommy. The tunes of Verdi have since become some of the most recognisable pieces of music in the world. Composers like Handel, Wagner, Puccini, Cole Porter, Igor Stravinsky, and many more incorporated the most modern sounds and innovations in music into their scores to create memorable and new developments.

The original operas by Claudio Monteverdi, Barbara Strozzi, Jean-Baptiste Lully and others, were long events framed around meal breaks and parties filled with court romance and intrigue. The lighter operas of Mozart were written for the masses, with beautiful and memorable tunes, fantastical characters, and tongue-in-cheek social commentary. Original Tommy Album cover (left) and Tommy Film Poster (right)

First rock opera