Music: A Resurrection

The Met salvages a season

The Metropolitan Opera has been forced to cancel more than a third of its scheduled season by labor disputes, which were finally settled three weeks ago. Looking over his plans, Music Director James Levine concluded that "the losses for the future seem remarkably small." The house reopens next Wednesday, and the Met will begin performing such works as Alban Berg's Lulu, Tristan und Isolde and—holiday-minded families will be happy to hear—Hansel and Gretel. Two of the four new productions originally announced for this season—Queen of Spades and Così Fan Tutte—have been postponed; La Traviata and Parade, a trio of one-acters by Satie, Ravel and Poulenc, will probably proceed as planned. As many as seven scheduled repertory items—including Das Rheingold, Samson et Dalila and La Gioconda—will most likely have to be shelved. But the Met hopes to mount a season of some 15 productions, featuring such stellar performers as Luciano Pavarotti, Marilyn Home and Placido Domingo. Fittingly, the opening night of the company's resurrected season will be a concert performance of Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony No. 2.