A musician is suing the Royal Opera House for "irreversible damage" to his hearing after he was placed in front of the brass section in rehearsals.
Chris Goldscheider, a renowned viola player, claims to have endured noise equivalent to a jet engine by being continously sat beside loud instruments during rehearsals.
The Royal Opera House has denied responsibility for damage done to Mr Goldscheider's eardrums - and consequently his career - while practising for Wagner's thunderous Die Walkure in 2012.
The 46-year-old says he has had to move his family to a smaller house, must wear protectors to carry out everyday tasks and is suffering from depression as a result of being unable to play as he has done since four years old.
"Ordinary sounds like banding cups and glasses together is a very painful nose," he told the BBC.
"My newborn daughter was crying so much I actually got noise-induced vertigo because of my injury and I ended up in bed for three weeks."
The damage has ruined Mr Goldscheider's career, according to the musician's solicitor.
Chris Fry told The Independent: "It's collapsed his ability to earn altogether. He can't pick up an instrument when his entire life was picking up the voila at four years old.
"That's the route he'd committed his entire life to."
Mr Goldscheider is claiming for compensation from the Royal Opera House's insurers in a complex case which might be legally unique.
The claim of "acoustic shock" is being countered by the famous venue at Covent Garden but, if successful, could provide a precedent in law.
"If it goes to trial the outcome will have an immediate effect for anyone in the music industry, and beyond," said Mr Fry.
More than a quarter of the 100 players in the Royal Opera House orchestra have reported occasional or mild hearing illness, and 117 weeks of sick leave was taken in 2013 to 2014 surrounding noise problems, according to the BBC.
For Mr Goldscheider, who has been playing up to six hours a day since age 10, the noise has "created an immediate and pemanent traumatic threshold shift," according to court documents.
If the musician suceeds in winning damages, his solicitor will go ahead with a six-figure loss of earnings claim.
The Royal Opera House said in a statement: "Mr Goldscheider's compensation claim against the Royal Opera House is a complex medico-legal issue, which has been going on for some time and is still under investigation.
"All sides are keen to reach a resolution. The matter is now the subject of legal proceedings, and in the circumstances it wouldn't be appropriate to comment any further at this stage."
