In keeping (tangentially) with our Rosenkavalier theme this weekend, here is a tale that is, as it were, as old as time, and just about as unreliable. After the jump, La Cieca produces documentary evidence that Peter Gelb has single-handedly ravaged the finances of the Met not only during his own incumbency, but in the distant past as well.

Here we see Gelb’s influence, when, at the callow age of only 22, he precipitated a financial crisis at the Met in the year 1975.

And even more incredibly, here we have proof of Gelb’s malign influence a whopping 13 years before his birth, when the Met ran out of money during its 1940 season.

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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