Then a Met official invited people to take a walk across the stage.

The following spring, he discussed briefly the idea of retiring with Met officials.

Some 40,000 listeners still turned out, a Met official said, though many decamped at intermission.

He recently made the suggestion to Met officials again and is pleased that - if only for a trial period - it has been heeded.

In the worst case, such personal relationships could create a conflict of interest making senior Met officials less willing to act in the public interest.

Some observers expressed the view that the decision to limit the investigation was in part due to conflict of interest by Met officials.

It hasn't been, although negotiations are apparently well under way and Met officials stressed that no "dire" implications should be read into the delay.

Given Wednesday's cold weather, it was hardly surprising that only about 12,500 people showed up, according to a police estimate provided by Met officials.

These events later led to questions about whether Met officials having close relationships with news media organizations created inappropriate conflicts of interest.

Last night's performance would therefore have been the premiere, and Met officials spent several hours trying to arrange special transportation for ticket holders.