WILL OPERA SINK OR SING?

Thanks to debts that have ballooned to 1.76 million lats ($3 million), the Latvian National Opera announced that it may be forced to suspend performances before the end of the year. At a news conference Sept. 7, Indra Lukina, the operais acting director, said there is no way the opera can repay its debt to the Latvian government, which has been accumulating for two years. In addition, she said 600 opera employees have yet to draw their wages for last month. Already, several planned new productions for this season, which opens Sept. 17, have been scrapped. Only a production of Prokofievis ballet "Romeo and Juliet" will go on as planned, since the opera company is already well into rehearsals. Money for guest artists has dried up as well, Lukina said. The Latvian National Opera has received high praise in recent years, including kudos from foreign observers and publications. This yearis opera festival was heralded by organizers as a grand success; opera buffs from Sweden, Germany and Russia have already expressed interest in participating in future events. Lukina said there have been thoughts about changing the status of the opera from a state-run institution to a joint-stock company, a move that would require the opera to change its name.