Posted May 22, 2012

Flip Flops at Opera News

May 28, 2012 Update from New York Magazine

Is Gelb fiddling while the Met burns?

http://nymag.com/news/intelligencer/peter-gelb-metropolitan-opera-2012-…

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May 22, 2012

Tuesday a.m. May 22nd the New York Times published a report that Opera News, a publication of the Metropolitan Opera Guild with circulation of over 100,000 will no longer review operas performed at the Metropolitan Opera. Apparently in recent weeks Opera News published a highly critical review of the Metropolitan Opera Ring Cycle.

Here is the article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/22/arts/music/opera-news-will-stop-revie…

Later, Tuesday the Metropolitan Opera Guild reversed the decision after being deluged with e-mails and angry phone calls. The internet mesage boards and Blogs were highly critical of the decision.

Press release from the Met

“Opera News Will Continue to Review Metropolitan Opera Productions”

In view of the outpouring of reaction from opera fans about the recent decision to discontinue Met performance reviews in Opera News, the Met has decided to reverse this new editorial policy. From their postings on the internet, it is abundantly clear that opera fans would miss reading reviews about the Met in Opera News. Ultimately, the Met is here to serve the opera-loving public and has changed its decision because of the passionate response of the fans.

The Met and the Met Opera Guild, the publisher of Opera News, have been in discussions about the role of the Guild and how its programs and activities can best fulfill its mission of supporting the Metropolitan Opera. These discussions have included the role of reviews in Opera News, and whether they served that mission. While the Met believed it did not make sense for a house organ that is published by the Guild and financed by the Met to continue to review Met productions, it has become clear that the reviews generate tremendous excitement and interest and will continue to have a place in Opera News.