SAN DIEGO COUNTY PERSPECTIVE : The Show Must Go On

For several days this week, it looked as if the San Diego Opera season premiere, “Der Rosenkavalier,” might be canceled because the opera and the orchestra musicians could not agree on a contract.

The contract is still being negotiated, but the two sides were able to agree sufficiently to let the season open as scheduled next Saturday.

But the fact that negotiations reached the point where cancellation of performances was threatened was an unpleasant reminder of the 1986-87 season of the San Diego Symphony, which was terminated after a lockout of musicians.

There are, however, more differences than similarities in the two situations. The main difference is that the San Diego Opera is financially healthy, while the symphony was heavily in debt.

The loss of San Diego’s major classical music source for several months was a sad chapter in the area’s cultural history--one that it would be wise for both the opera and the musicians to keep in mind as they continue at the bargaining table.

For the musicians, the lessons are fairly direct. A strike means the loss of jobs and pay, and many of their opportunities to play.

The lessons for the San Diego Opera extend beyond the immediate financial blow of having to refund $600,000 in tickets and the loss of the $892,000 it has invested in the production. The cancellation of “Der Rosenkavalier,” the season opener, could have shaken community confidence in the San Diego Opera, making it tougher to sell tickets and attract donors.

But canceling a production would also have been a shame culturally. The San Diego Opera is a strong regional opera, artistically as well as financially. Canceled operas or strained relations between management and the musicians can hinder the company’s chances of drawing internationally known performers.

Fortunately, “Der Rosenkavalier” will go on as scheduled. Maybe the brief crisis in the negotiations will make both sides more conciliatory in the rest of the negotiations, and a new contract will be reached without further threats to performances.