Hey Buddy, Can You Spare A Tenner?

Even the stalwart Met is not immune to the economic climate and has announced it is giving up The Ghost of Versailles in an effort to cut costs. Angela Gheorghiu and Thomas Hampson, who were scheduled to sing, will now appear in a revival of La Traviata. "In looking at ways to economize, that was an unfortunate sacrifice," commented Met General Manager Peter Gelb. Aria Serious hears chatter of some other productions being replaced at the Met but until substantiated, we'll file these as rumors for now.

In related economic climate news, San Francisco Opera is taking a close look at its Ring cycle. Readers will remember that this is a co-production with Washington National Opera, which has delayed its full Ring cycle and is now performing Götterdämmerung as two concert performances. "We're not going to make a decision for at least 60 days," said San Francisco Opera spokesman Jon Finck. "First we have to ascertain whether this is really just a postponement, and then if it's really off, think about how can we do this ourselves."

While I think postponing the Ring is a very smart decision for WNO I hope the economy can turn itself around quickly, as a full cycle in our Nation's capitol would be an incredible achievement and event.

-- Edward