Since he took it over eight years ago, Daniel Barenboim has turned the former East Berlin Staatsoper company into Berlin’s leading opera house. But Berlin is broke, and Barenboim is demanding another 10 million marks for his budget as a condition of his staying. Last week drastic plans by the Berlin Senate were revealed to amalgamate the city’s three major opera houses with Barenboim to be offered the job of general manager, or “intendant,” of the new super-company. – Chicago Tribune