Some opera critics in Britain have come under fire over disparaging comments they made about the size and shape of an up-and-coming Irish mezzo-soprano.

Tara Erraught’s physique was dismissed as “a chubby bundle of puppy fat”, “dumpy”, “unbelievable, unsightly and unappealing” and “stocky” by five separate critics in their reviews of her performance in Der Rosenkavalier at the Glyndebourne Festival.

The mostly-male writers, some of whose articles appeared in The Guardian and The Telegraph, have been accused of ‘fat-shaming’ the award-winning singer and have been criticised for allowing the merits of Erraught’s performance to be overshadowed by her physical appearance.

Acclaimed mezzo-soprano Alice Coote has spoken about the practical implications of size and shape in relation to performance: "being underweight is far more damaging to a singer's well-being and performance than being overweight. Similarly I can tell you that if our stomachs are toned anywhere near a six-pack our sound will suffer. The relaxation needed for low breathing is not aided in any sense by an over worked out body."

Neither Tara Erraught nor the Glyndebourne Festival has commented on the issue.