More on the Opera

I am lucky enough to go to the Metropolitan Opera House in Lincoln Center about once year. My father and step-mother are frequent opera-goers.

Great Performances -- Behind the Scenes

""Götterdämmerung" isn't running tonight. It's just in staged rehearsal, starring Katarina Dalayman as Brünnhilde and Christian Franz as Siegfried, with complete sets and full orchestra. Last night, the Met had performed "Don Giovanni," an opera with 11 scenes; by 8 p.m., it'll be offering "Il Trovatore," a production that debuted in February and changes scenes, all built on a turntable, 12 times.

That's three changes of sets, for three different operas, in 24 hours. Some pieces are kept in-house on wagons or in storage areas; others are stored in New Jersey and transported to the Met by container truck.

If you have never understood why an old saying calls opera "the most expensive human endeavor, with the possible exception of war," a day at the Metropolitan Opera explains it. The divas, maestro, managers and orchestra are just part of the equation. So much else goes into the productions, made more complicated by the Met's tradition of staging operas in repertory. The Met is often a 24-hour operation. Make that a 24/6 operation, and occasionally 24/7."