Metropolitan Opera boss Peter Gelb: I need to "think about the consequences of my actions"

The New York Times Magazine published a lengthy profile of Peter Gelb, director of the Metropolitan Opera. One story related in the piece regards a Gelb's reaction to a negative column in Opera News, a publication that is published by the Metropolitan Opera Guild, an organization affiliated with the Met. (You can read more about the Opera News piece here.) Among other things, the writer, Brian Kellow, asserted that "The public is becoming more dispirited each season by the pretentious and woefully misguided, misdirected productions foisted on them."

After reading the column, Gelb suggested publicly that Opera News perhaps shouldn't be publishing reviews of Met productions, given that it is connected to the Met. Which of course subjected Gelb to more criticism about his thin skin and defensiveness. Soon, he retracted his suggestion and said "I think I made a mistake."

What did he learn from this experience? He told the Times:

“What I learned is that even if I feel sure and right about something, I should take a deep breath and think about the consequences of my actions,” he said. “It’s easy in a state of righteous indignation to act too quickly.”