“The prima donna is not the figure she once was,- perhaps partly because the overall position of women in society has advanced to such an extent that her achievement no longer seems remarkable or heroic. Fifty years ago, it was different: a girl had to fight to make a career in opera, and, in a business dominated by flattering yet patronising men, even the biggest stars had to assert themselves aggressively – hence the prevalence of the sexist myth of the difficult diva.”