The Metropolitan Opera Begins Negotiations with Local 802The Metropolitan Opera opens negotiations today with members of Local 802 of American Federations of Musicians -- one of 15 unions whose contracts expire on July 31 -- one imagines that the atmosphere will be less than friendly. That's because Local 802 on Friday released to the media an 84-page document that explains, in devastating detail, that the Met's current financial problems are the result of overspending and mismanagement by Peter Gelb, the company's general manager. Among the points made in the document: * Sixty-one percent of the new productions at the Met under Gelb's tenure have received negative reviews from the press, yet 81% of the time, the orchestra received good notices. * Rising ticket prices have depressed the box office. * Gelb's new productions do not attract audiences when revived. The study says, "While there is always heightened interest in a new production premiere, the average attendance and earnings rate for Peter Gelb's revivals falls far below that of the older productions which pre-date him. The average revenue decline for the revival of a Peter Gelb production is 21.6%. The pattern is so pervasive that it cannot possibly be explained by an occasional unpopular cast." * In particular, the Met's revival of The Ring cycle, which was negatively reviewed, has been a drain on company resources. The document says: "Robert Lepage's staging of Wagner's Ring cycle, introduced by Peter Gelb at the Met in the 2010 - 2012 seasons, was the most expensive production in the company's history. In addition to the reported cost of the production, the Met stage needed to be permanently reinforced with three enormous I-beams, the Met had to settle a costly lawsuit with Local 1 for constructing the set with non-union workers, programming was changed because other large opera sets could not be stored during the run of The Ring, and the 'machine,' (which is the main feature of the set) must be stored in an air conditioned facility." * Gelb's comment to interviewer Paula Zahn, is quoted: "The box office sales are down because box office sales in every city in this country are down for classical music and opera. This is an endemic problem that America faces, and that is faced in Europe as well." However, the study cites a variety of companies, both in the US and abroad that this year broke even and/or enjoyed record attendance. * While noting that the Met Opera orchestra is among the highest paid in the country, the study notes that it works many more hours than its counterparts. There is much more, which can be seen by clicking on the URL below left, but, with time running out and this vigorous response from just one of the 15 unions now locked in negotiations, it seems increasingly unlikely that a lockout can be avoided. Check back during the week for updates. The link to a PBS report on the Met's labor woes, complete with Gelb's interview with Paula Zahn, can be found below right. 
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