The annual Duke of York’s Picturehouse Eurovision Party, which is apparently a gay institution in Brighton, is pre-empted this year because of demand for tickets for the Met’s HD of Die Walküre. [BBC News] (Voigt photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Says the Met press office: “Yonghoon Lee will sing the title role in Don Carlo during the Met’s Japan tour, replacing Jonas Kaufmann, who has withdrawn for personal reasons. [Yeah, we knew that, but, wait, there's another paragraph]…. Ekaterina Gubanova will make her Met role debut as Eboli in the same production, replacing Olga Borodina, who has been ordered by her physicians to take a two-month vocal rest.”
On the bright side, compared to the atmosphere in the Met’s front office this afternoon, nobody could ever call Japan “toxic.”
La Cieca hears that tenor Yonghoon Lee will sing the title role of Verdi’s Don Carlo during the Met’s tour to Japan, replacing Jonas Kaufmann who will be sick or something. (Photo: Ken Howard / Metropolitan Opera)
Though Margaret Juntwait may have caught him pitifully unprepared, James Levine did say a few words for those lovely people among the Sirius audience last night during the intermission of Ariadne. Those of you who missed this singular event may want to take a peek after the jump.
Tonight’s the final midweek Met chat for a while, cher public, so be sure to attend and enjoy Joyce DiDonato and company in Ariadne auf Naxos, beginning at 8:00 pm.
La Cieca hears that the top spot in Marketing and Communications just opened up today at an opera house that is becoming known for its revolving-door staffing policies.
Which diva hopes for a high six-figure advance for a memoir revealing new details of her “so shameful” addiction? And which divo may already feel remorse over his decision to drop out of the Met’s tour to Japan?
“If, as rumor has it, conductor Fabio Luisi is poised to succeed the ailing James Levine as music director of the Met, Saturday afternoon’s elegant performance of Ariadne auf Naxos showed he’s the right man for the job.” [New York Post]
Cher Public