And you think you work with divas.

You have to hand it to Joe Volpe. Releasing a memoir of his tenure as head of the Metropolitan Opera could put one in a ticklish situation; doing it before he actually steps down (his last official day is in July) could be construed as downright foolish. Yet if there is one underlying theme that comes out of The Toughest Show on Earth: My Rise and Reign at the Metropolitan Opera, it is the gutsiness necessary with successfully running the nation's largest (and some would say premier) performing arts organization.

Opera exists for conflict, and Volpe's 43-year career at the Met certainly saw its fair share: the struggle to get the new Met house built, the 1980 labor strike that saw part of the season canceled, and, most famously, Volpe's dismissal of soprano Kathleen Battle. Volpe (with co-author Charles Michener) frankly describes the twists and turns of keeping the pressure-cooker that is the Met functioning and even thriving. That Volpe ended up as the head of the company is in itself due to a twist of fate. As a carpenter working on sets for a production of Turandot at the old Met, Volpe wasn't even interested in opera until he happened to hear Birgit Nilsson and Franco Corelli rehearsing the trial scene in Act 2. Hooked, he eventually worked his way up the Met ranks, eventually rising to the rank of general manager in 1990.

Volpe's reign has not been without controversy, and occasionally it seems like Volpe is directly defending himself from his critics, especially when the topics of the administration and management of Lincoln Center arises. Nor do some familiar faces from the Met survive Volpe's critique: snobbish administrators, clueless designers and even long-time music director James Levine get sometimes brutal commentary. Yet Volpe knows where to give credit as well, singling out Levine for the artistic strength of the company, and various board members and donors for keeping the Met afloat through tough financial times.

The Toughest Show is a friendly read for those without a background in music or opera, and contains enough Met history to acclimate the unfamiliar with the company's rich and occasionally stormy history. Those already acquainted with the Met will appreciate the generous use of photos and the chance to understand the lives of the people working behind the gold curtain.