I'm not sure what he's thinking

There is an interview with Gerard Mortier in today's NY Times, in which he talks about some of his ideas for the future of NY City Opera. At least in his first season (2009-10) he's planning to eschew standard operas and concentrate on:

a “very demanding program” focused on 20th-century works for the 2009-10 season, the kind of operas “where you need to convince people” to go.

Hmm.

Now I'm all for testing an audiences limits, but isn't he aware of how we have to fund opera in the U.S.? To realize all of his plans, he will need to increase the budget from about $40 million to $60 million. And yet he is admittedly "scared" about raising money from private donors.

So if he's scared, the first thing that he plans to do is alienate them?

I certainly admire his courage. I believe that there must be a place for the kind of work that Mortier is talking about, but many American operagoers do not. The novelty may generate enough interest and might translate into ticket sales (provided the product is good). But he's also taking a calculated risk in alienating the traditionally conservative donors who finance opera in the U.S. I wonder in the City Opera board will allow this.

Well at least it's not going to be boring.