"I was disappointed about the music," he said. "Not one complete work."
By this time, Walther had learned to know when Willy was maneuvering toward an objective.
"Just tell me what you've got in mind," he grinned. "No preliminaries."
Willy chuckled his appreciation, then grew serious.
"Our opera season ends this week.... We're supposed to take a month off, then start rehearsals for the next tour. Perhaps, during this month...."
Walther sensed what was coming next, but he held his breath—waiting for Willy to say it. Willy did:
"Perhaps—if you still want to spend more money to pay them—we could persuade some of our group to record...."
"A full-length opera!" Walther exclaimed. "Would they—could they—do it?"
Willy pursed his lips thoughtfully.
"As for willingness—you've observed that your wealth is rather persuasive on Earth. Like most artists, our people spend more than they earn, and would probably try anything for what you could pay them. As for ability—we'd undoubtedly have to record in short sessions. We might even have to break up the arias into sections, because we're not conditioned for sustained effort."