 Scholars have noted its departure from the "number opera" formula of works such as "The Threepenny Opera" and "Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny" in exchange for a more continuous sound, as well as a minimizing of satire and irony.Certain of these scholars have also noted influences ranging from Handel and Verdi in its oratorio-like features to a detached and unemotional character indebted to Stravinsky's "Oedipus Rex".