The strike is unrelated to the nationwide protests, involving hundreds of thousands of people, against a new labor law making it easier for employers to fire people under the age of 26 in the first two years of a contract.

The performance was called off a few hours before it was due to take place, "despite long negotiations'' with unions, Bloomberg said, citing an e-mail received by ticket-holders.

Adriana Mater, the Finnish composer's second opera, follows the story of a young woman who falls pregnant after being raped in a fictionalized Balkan country. Saariaho's first opera, L'Amour de Loin, a story of cross cultural love, debuted at the Salzburg Festival in 2000.

The premiere of Adriana Mater is now scheduled for April 3, according to the Associated Press.