Sir Richard Eyre combined a scathing attack on Royal Opera House elitism with a passionate defence of arts subsidy in his report on ballet and opera in London published yesterday.
The relationship between the Royal Opera House and its public funders had been "characterised by arrogance and presumption on the part of the Royal Opera House board", he said.
The troubled home of the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet should slash ticket prices, end first night complimentaries, appoint a strong artistic director, cut top salaries and tighten financial controls.
Sir Richard, formerly artistic director of the Royal National Theatre, said the ROH "must seize the opportunity of its rebirth in the new Covent Garden" to open its doors to new audiences.
But in unwelcome news for the Government he concluded it would inevitably need more public subsidy in its newly refurbished Covent Garden home, due to open at the end of next year, and that the performing arts as a whole remained underfunded.
At a briefing following the report's publication he suggested an extra £60 million a year should be pumped into the arts.
The Culture Secretary, Mr Chris Smith, accepted Sir Richard's rejection of privatisation for the ROH and his own initial suggestion that English National Opera should be shoe-horned into Covent Garden instead of its Coliseum home.
The crisis-stricken ROH has attracted most unfavourable publicity out of the "lyric theatres" of London dealt with in Sir Richard's report.
The arts lottery grant of £78 million towards its refurbishment is the largest ever given, and its resident companies the Royal Opera and Royal Ballet received £14.5 million from the Arts Council this year.
Yet in the last 12 months alone, it has faced insolvency twice, had its planning described as "a shambles" by both a Commons select committee and the Arts Council chairman and seen its entire board resign under the pressure.
However, the new board, headed by Mr Smith's appointee Sir Colin Southgate, the EMI chairman, was not absolved from criticism. "The new ROH board has submitted no business plan for the re-opened Covent Garden theatre, and no artistic or business plan for the studio theatre."
But Sir Richard's greatest passion was brought to bear in arguing continued and greater subsidies for the arts.
The Arts Councils get about £200 million a year, and Sir Richard suggested between £50 million and £60 million a year would represent a substantial investment.
He made that point to the Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, at his Downing Street meeting with arts leaders on Monday night.
The Royal Opera House's new board's immediate response to the "objective, thorough and passionate" report was to outline progress since its first meeting in March.
It was ensuring the new ROH will be artistically led, seeking greater parity between ballet and opera, encouraging greater access and reducing ticket prices.
There would be an expanded educational programme and proper financial controls and procedures, it said.
The report's publication removed uncertainty about the future of the ROH, it said.
Even more relieved by the publication were bosses at English National Opera, which had the threat of losing its London Coliseum home hanging over it.
"The months since the announcement of the Eyre Review have been a period of huge uncertainty for our company, for our audiences and for our sponsors and donors," musical director Paul Daniel said.
"But we have come through and I thank our sponsors and donors for staying with us."
Sir Richard said the Coliseum would need "urgent investment" to remain a viable home for ENO, and had a good case for a Lottery award.
Dance theatre Sadler's Wells, currently rebuilding its Islington building, also called for more subsidies.
"The danger for Sadler's Wells is that the focus on the problems of the royal Opera House and English National Opera will ignore the equally urgent needs of Sadler's Wells so that good practice and management is penalised," its statement said.
The Arts Council chairman, Mr Gerry Robinson, welcomed the report's "sensible recommendations".