Richard Axel is known to be a great aficionado of opera and attended Joan Sutherland 's debut performance at New York 's Metropolitan Opera with his high school friend Jerold Brenowitz , who later became a heart surgeon .
Richard Axel is known to be a great aficionado of opera and was referred to as an ' opera addict ' by the Nobel prize winner Eric Kandel . 
 Axel attended Joan Sutherland 's debut performance at New York 's Metropolitan Opera with his high school friend Jerold Brenowitz , who later became a heart surgeon .