Why Roger Waters Wrote a French Revolution Opera (2005's Ça Ira)

Roger Waters first got the idea for an opera about the French Revolution in the late 1980s, during a period when he was drifting away from the rock format. He teamed up with French librettist Étienne Roda-Gil, but the project sat on a shelf for years—partly because Waters was busy with tours and solo albums, and partly because no opera house wanted to touch it. In 2005, he finally recorded and released Ça Ira as a studio opera, complete with a symphony orchestra, full chorus, and classically trained vocalists.

The biggest difference between this and his rock solo records (like Amused to Death or Radio K.A.O.S.) is the sound—there’s no bass, no guitar solos, no drum kit, and no Waters singing lead. The music leans on formal classical structures (arias, recitatives, choruses) rather than the bluesy prog-rock he’s known for. But the themes are pure Waters: the