Some interesting turns of phrase in the Met press office’s announcement that Valery Gergiev will not (shockeroo!) show up tomorrow to conduct a single performance of Boris Godunov:

Pavel Smelkov will conduct tomorrow’s matinee performance of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, replacing Valery Gergiev. Maestro Gergiev’s manager issued the follow statement: “Valery Gergiev is unable to travel to New York to conduct Boris Godunov at the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday, March 12 due to exhaustion. He has been resting in St. Petersburg and will remain at home to recuperate. He has been advised by his doctors not to fly.”

Note: we don’t say it, Gergiev’s manager says it. We don’t have to believe it, we just have to repeat it.

La Cieca thinks this is a cheesy way to end what has been a pretty spectacular Met career, but not, perhaps, totally out of character.