Last month he told the Guardian that the Met could “ face a bankruptcy situation” by 2017 if costs aren’t brought under control – and labor accounts for about two thirds of the company’s operating budget. The Met is relying more and more on its richest donors, and it’s also spending its endowment at a worrying rate: it’s down to just $253m, less than a single year’s operating costs. Attendance in the 2013 fiscal year stood at 79%. An analysis by the Wall Street Journal showed that in the 2012-2013 season (the last for which figures are available), the house grossed just 69% of its total possible take in ticket sales.

While the Met’s budget has grown to $325m under Gelb, revenue has stagnated and ticket sales are off their peaks. It will be the Met’s first lockout in 34 years, and the latest setback for an opera company – and an art form – at a dangerous junction. Peter Gelb, the Met’s general manager, has affirmed that the company will lock out union members on Friday if no agreement is reached.

The met opera schedule 2015