The inclusion of the sea monster also violated the French operatic convention of having a clear purpose for encounters with supernatural beings.

"There are operatic conventions whose genuine power is undeniable," he says.

One reason is that it enlightens us about certain operatic conventions that are not as clear from the opera score.

While the notions of disguised characters and mistaken identities are operatic conventions, here they are not set up believably.

The satire in the piece concerns Victorian-era class distinctions and operatic conventions with which modern audiences are less familiar.

Commentators have noted how the opera satirises and parodies accepted operatic conventions.

But what if we don't just chalk this up to tired old operatic convention?

His problem was not the injection of rock vulgarities into dusty old operatic conventions.

Toward the end of the 18th century, though, many dramatists and composers were becoming dissatisfied with operatic convention.

On the whole, old Italian operatic conventions are disregarded in favour of giving the action dramatic impetus.