Conductor Riccardo Muti has sent a letter to the Metropolitan Opera, throwing his support behind its musicians. Staff at the Met have been locked out since December after refusing to sign a new deal that would have slashed their pay.
The situation, already difficult, has been exacerbated the Met using non-Met musicians for its New Year’s Eve gala.
Muti, currently music director at Chicago Symphony, sent the open letter to the Met’s management on 10 January.
“The Met, its Orchestra, along with its artistic team and technical crews are a heritage of humanity. The artistic world is in disbelief that the very existence of a great Orchestra like the Met’s could be in danger and even at risk of disappearing.
“The extensive and glorious history of the Met and its fabulous Orchestra cannot end in an artistic catastrophe. The world of Art, of Culture, and of Beauty would never forgive it! Moreover, future generations would suffer dearly the negative consequences.”
