Deposed queen leads valiant but flawed 'Better Gods' at WNO

More new opera commissions should be for hour-long pieces.Opera is seen as such a big art form that artists faced with creating one can stumble on their own visions of grandeur. A shorter format helps keep expectations in check. It certainly helped "Better Gods," the opera by Luna Pearl Woolf and Caitlin Vincent that had its world premiere as part of the Washington National Opera's American Opera Initiative on Friday night.