Although Battle gave several critically praised performances at the Metropolitan Opera during the early 1990s, her relationship with the company's management showed increasing signs of strain during those years. As Battle's status grew, so did her reputation for being difficult and demanding. In October 1992 when she opened the Boston Symphony Orchestra season, she reportedly banned an assistant conductor and other musicians from her rehearsals, changed hotels several times, and left behind what a report in "The Boston Globe" called "a froth of ill will". In February 1994, during rehearsals for an upcoming production of "La fille du régiment" at the Metropolitan Opera, Battle was said to have subjected her fellow performers to "withering criticism" and made "almost paranoid demands that they not look at her." General Manager Joseph Volpe responded by dismissing Battle from the production for "unprofessional actions" during rehearsals. Volpe called Battle's conduct "profoundly detrimental to the artistic collaboration among all the cast members" and indicated that he had "canceled all offers that have been made for the future." Battle was replaced in Donizetti's "La fille du régiment" by Harolyn Blackwell. At the time of her termination from the Met, Michael Walsh of "Time" magazine reported that "the cast of "The Daughter of the Regiment" applauded when it was told during rehearsal that Battle had been fired." After she sang with the San Francisco Opera at this time, several backstage workers wore T-shirts that read: "I survived the Battle".