Will Self's pointless and oh, so tired swipe at the physical attributes of the main protagonists in the Royal Opera's sensational revival of Strauss' Elektra ("Heavyweights in the House" Evening Standard 25/11) was yet another instance of writer and editor spectacularly missing the point. If they spent half as much time learning about the realities of opera as they do propagating the same old ignorance we'd all get somewhere. Clearly Self has no idea how few sopranos have what it takes mentally, physically, vocally, to sing the highly challenging role of Elektra - no more than a handful in the world at any given time. Susan Bullock rightly triumphed at Covent Garden uncovering layers of text through subtleties of colour not often heard in performances of the role. In the face of such a detailed and moving portrayal how churlish, then, to harp on about the absence of "sunken cheeks" and the fleshier forms of these heroic women. Perhaps an inaudible Katherine Jenkins might satisfy his casting requirements. In your dreams, Will.