Since his appointment as general manager of the Metropolitan Opera in the fall of 2006, Peter Gelb has revolutionized the way opera is produced, promoted and marketed not only in New York, but around the world. A glimpse at his date book provides insight into the construction of his multimedia empire.— Steve Smith

La Fille du Régiment

Jan 8, 2007
London: Meet with director Laurent Pelly during dress rehearsals of La Fille du Régiment, opening at the Met on Apr 21. He agrees that the ending doesn’t seem to work. Since we don’t do previews, having productions begin in other opera houses is the Met’s equivalent of an out-of-town trial.

Jan 9, 2007
New York: Meet with filmmaker Susan Froemke about a documentary on the 2007 National Council Auditions. Each year, 2,000 gifted singers enter this competition; the film would be an interesting look at how young vocalists struggle to become opera stars. We plan to release it this fall.

Feb 9, 2007
Determine 2007–08 season of high-definition transmissions to movie theaters with the Met’s artistic and media staff.

Feb 18, 2007
Paris: Deliver keynote address on the future of opera at the Opera Europa conference. The European opera world was surprised by the impact of the changes we put in place at the Met. Now they’re trying to follow in our footsteps with their media activities.

Satyagraha

Apr 5, 2007
Attend English National Opera premiere of Philip Glass’s Satyagraha to finalize plans for bringing it here in April 2008.

May 12, 2007
Vienna: Attend premiere of Leos Janacek’s From the House of the Dead with conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen and director Patrice Chéreau. It was conducted by Pierre Boulez in Europe. He had declined our invitation to come to New York—he’ll be 85 and didn’t feel up to it. Salonen was committed to the project in principle, but it was necessary for him to come to Vienna to see the production.

Jul 12, 2007
London: Meet with film director Penny Woolcock regarding a new production of Doctor Atomic opening at the Met in October 2008. This is her first opera. She and Julian Crouch, the designer of Satyagraha, have been working together for several weeks; we discuss their initial ideas.

Jul 26, 2007
Basel, Switzerland: Director Pierre Audi and architects Jacques Herzog and Pierre de Meuron discuss Verdi’s Attila for the 2009–10 season. They are remarkable architects; I’d seen their first attempt at opera scenery in Berlin six months before.

Robert Lepage

Aug–Sept 2007
Several meetings with Canadian artist and theater director Robert Lepage to discuss plans for the Met’s new Ring cycle, slated for the 2010–11 season. He’s like the theatrical equivalent of Steven Spielberg, harnessing technology like motion control and interactive scenery in his Ring. Every inch of the stage is going to be equipped with computerized sensors programmed to create effects and summon lighting according to the motion and weight of the performers.

Sept 26, 2007
Meet with director Mary Zimmerman and soprano Natalie Dessay during the run of Lucia di Lammermoor to reach agreement on a new production of La Sonnambula for 2008–09. There was some reported friction between Zimmerman and Dessay because they had different artistic ideas. This shouldn’t stop their working together again; they both had a huge success.

Also in Music:

• One-man bands: The most vital music nights in town aren’t programmed by Bowery Presents—but by the musicians themselves. Mark your calendars for seven days’ worth of smart series.
• Backstage drivers: Meet four of classical music’s behind-the-scenes maestros. They’re in it for the future of programming—and all those free performances.