Ah -- now there was a topic he quite enjoyed. Erik was not much of a talker; 'laconic' was an apt word for him. But when it came to the Paris... the City Opera House, he had a little something to say about that.
"You may have observed the various signs around our fair city," he said. "I am seeking the brightest and most talented denizens to join us for the summer season -- and perhaps longer, should all work out well enough for that. Already, I've met a remarkable pianist. More come every week."
He didn't say that most of the auditions were painfully wretched. But there were gems among some of the auditions -- gems that he must have for his first season as the true and legal manager of this glorious place.
"I'll let you in on the secret now," he said, having chosen to accept his assistant's respectful suggestion that he tell the reporter something about the upcoming season. He was very good at marketing, indeed. "We're opening with Verdi's La traviata and ending with a new opera from an anonymous composer. More on that later, of course."