Carnac in the House!

As the political blogger Atrios likes to say, nobody could have predicted that Gerard Mortier's tenure at the New York City opera would be brief and ill-starred.

Except, you know, me.

Just like the last time around, I remark on this latest development with regret rather than pleasure. Nothing would have pleased me more than to see Mortier's bold and lavish plans for an artistically revivified company come to fruition — unless it were a plan calling for free ponies and ice cream for everyone.

But come on. I can't claim to have foreseen a year and a half ago the precise way this would all shake out — I sort of figured Mortier's programming would actually find its way to the stage, where it would be a succès d'estime and a fiscal catastrophe — but it was obvious even from a continent away that this was never going to work. There was way too much magical pixie dust built into the blueprints.