Well, That Didn't Take Long

As I said to a friend in email this morning, somewhere in the bowels of the Met, someone was holding his head, weeping quietly, and muttering "I told you so. I told you so." over and over.

Apparently that person finally got through to the powers that be, because, under the face-saving rubric of "the fans demand that ON publish reviews of the Met!", the Met has backed off. Um, maybe this press release should have come from F. Paul Driscoll rather than the Met itself?

May 22, 2012

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.

I find it interesting that they call ON a "house organ" and say that it's financed by the Met. I thought that the Guild raised funds for the Met rather than the other way around. I also wish they'd had sufficient balls humility to admit the giant mistake they made.