A generous donor has taken big steps to close the Metropolitan Opera’s $4 million budget gap, cutting the operahouse a check for $30 million. The donation—which sets a record as the most generous in the Met’s history—comes from Ann Ziff, widow of publishing exec William Ziff and daughter to soprano Harriet Henders. It couldn’t come a at a better time, since the concert hall was beginning to look a bit desperate—implementing high-tech, though questionably appealing, measures like beaming its performances into movie theaters worldwide. Ziff told the Times she’ll forgive the Met its little experiments. “Whether I like a new production or not, I don’t feel is important,” she said. “To get these new audiences, we need to try new things.” Now if only someone would extend the same generosity towards the MTA.