May 2006

Joseph Volpe

Sunday, May 07, 2006

With stunning candor, Joseph Volpe, Metropolitan Opera General Manager, shares the drama behind the curtain with host Gilbert Kaplan with music selections mirroring his relationships with Met stars – (Otello) Renée Fleming called him a “bully” yet today they are close friends; (La Bohème) Franco Zeffirelli witnessed a rarely-seen “other” side of him when Puccini brought him to tears; (Turandot) how hearing Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli, when he first came to the Met as an apprentice carpenter, brought him to love opera. Now, stepping down after 16 years as General Manager, he admits that always keeping an eye on the “bottom line” – and avoiding risks – may have prevented the Met from being more adventurous.