Martin Mayer writes that "for the past century the story of opera worldwide has been inseparable from the story of the Met." And never before has the story of the world's greatest opera company been told so compellingly and illustrated so lavishly as it is here. In commemoration of its centennial, the Metropolitan Opera for the first time has opened all its massive and fascinating archives for this celebration of a hundred years of musical glory. The history proves even more glamorous than the legends. This is the story of the end of the old house and the rise of Lincoln Center, the arrival of television and the immense growth of the operatic constituency in America. After a hundred crowded years of incident and personality, the Met flourishes not only in memories but in bright modern performances -- and The Met: One Hundred Years of Grand Opera tells the story. - Jacket flap.