So, cher public, predictions for Saturday morning’s John Keenan-helmed Götterdämmerung?

Photo: Marty Sohl. Video: Metropolitan Opera.

Not a word about the likelihood of Natalie showing up or not on Friday. She is “ill” and is “expected to be here” for the prima. Both of those statements could, as we know, mean anything

The rehearsal went well, I thought, although it was a bit rough here and there. As any conductor can tell you (and some found out too late for their own good) La traviata is not as simple as it might appear, and for every OOM-pah-pah-OOM-pah-pah, there is another very tricky rhythmic modulation, and many a land mine in the choral work. I recall a Sutherland-Bonynge performance 40 years ago where everything just fell apart during the chorus near the end of act 1. One of the worst things I’ve ever seen at the Met. What a “filth” podcast that would make!

Still, it’s not really fair to make too many public pronouncements about a rehearsal, especially when the leading lady is a sub.

Hvorostovsky was quite excellent. (Full disclosure.: I have a thing for him.) He has a spectacular stage presence, and sang with great insight and (mostly) great beauty. He looked stunning in his flawlessly fitted suit, and moved and acted with great intelligence and conviction. He is, of course, immeasurably more attractive visually than Matthew P. But that works out pretty well. Alfredo’s schlubbiness is just one more reason that his father has always been disappointed in him.

Polenzani was a bit rough, he too perhaps thrown off a bit by the new leading lady. Having seen him a number of times in the role last year, I know he can be very fine in the role, especially in the vocal sense. His acting remains a bit of a problem for me, but it may be that he’s just doing what the director told him.

After almost 30 years at the Met, and having performed quite a variety of roles (and well) Hong remains something of a wonder. She pretty much matched Poplavskaya bit-for-bit in this physically demanding production. (She did not, however, attempt Marina’s impressive stunt of running backwars on a twelve inch wide bench in nine-inch high heels while singing. At her age, she can be allowed some leeway. . . ) The voice is not quite what it was in her earliest years, but it’s still damn good. Her acting is very sincere and touching, and she is more than up to the big moments—including the “Amami Alfredo” outburst in act2. She worked very well with both male leads, and they applauded her with smiles and kisses during the curtain calls.

Luisi conducted a fleet and well-calibrated performance, and the orchestra seemed very responsive. It’s a pleasure to look over and watch him conduct from time to time. His movement are clear and beautiful in themselves. He’s a real professional. We’re lucky to have him.

I enjoyed the whole thing, and I look forward to seeing the finished version.

Apparently, even the Colbert Bump can’t help OONY.

These performances are conducted by Andrew Davis and also star Gerald Finley in the title role, Marina Rebeka as Donna Anna, Ellie Dehn as Donna Elvira, Isabel Leonard as Zerlina, Matthew Polenzani as Don Ottavio, Shenyang as Masetto, and James Morris as the Commendatore.

This cancellation may in fact not be the most startling news coming out of Cooperstown this summer, but La Cieca will have to ask the cher public to be patient for a bit as she gathers further information.

EARLIER: La Cieca has just heard from a Met insider that the following cast changes have been made to the company’s Japan tour, set to open June 4: Anna Netrebko and Joseph Calleja and Mariusz Kwiecien have all reportedly canceled. (“Ms. Netrebko changed her mind because of the emotional weight of having also lived through the tragedy of Chernobyl. She didn’t feel that she would be able to present her best performances and didn’t want to disappoint her Japanese fans. Mr. Calleja also had last-minute misgivings about performing in Japan at this time.”) 

Barbara Frittoli will replace Netrebko as Mimi in La bohème; the role of Marcello is TBA. Piotr Beczala will perform Rodolfo as scheduled on June 4, 8 and 11, with Marcelo Alvarez taking over the role on June 17 and 19.

But wait, there’s more!

With Frittoli busy singing Puccini, Marina Poplavskaya will replace her as Elisabetta in Don Carlo for all performances. Rolando Villazon will return to the Met for a one-night stand as Edgardo in Lucia di Lammermoor in the June 9 performance, replacing Calleja, then Alexei Dolgov (who?) fills in on the 12th before Beczala performs as scheduled on the 16th and 19th.

The “gala” concert on June 14 will include neither Netrebko nor Kwiecien and currently lists only orchestral works, with vocal soloists TBA “Diana Damrau, Barbara Frittoli, and Piotr Beczala will join Mariusz  Kwiecien for the Suntory Hall concert on June 14, replacing Ms. Netrebko. The program for this concert will be announced shortly.”

Earlier cancellations for this tour have included Jonas Kaufmann, Olga Borodina and the Met’s music director James Levine.

On the bright side, compared to the atmosphere in the Met’s front office this afternoon, nobody could ever call Japan “toxic.”

In interest of gathering the broadest range of opinion on this crucial subject, a poll follows the jump.

The cher public are encouraged to campaign for their favorites in the comments section; YouTube clips are suggested.

James Levine has just canceled all engagements between now and October, except for the two remaining peformances of Die Walküre at the Met May 9 and 14.  Fabio Luisi will take over the Carnegie Hall concert with Natalie Dessay on May 16 and Levine’s duties on the Japan tour, conducting Don Carlo and La Bohème.

The statement from the Met, which follows the jump, optimistically predicts that after “taking the summer off to rest and recuperate from his ongoing back condition,” the maestro will return to the podium for the new production of Don Giovanni opening October 13.

Following his doctors’ advice, James Levine is taking the summer off to rest and recuperate from his ongoing back condition. While he will conduct the remaining performances of Die Walküre at the Met (May 9 and 14 – a matinee performance that will be transmitted live in HD), he will not join the Met on its Japan tour this June or conduct the MET Orchestra’s Carnegie Hall concert on May 15. Fabio Luisi, the Met’s principal guest conductor, will replace him for these engagements, conducting Verdi’s Don Carlo and Puccini’s La Bohème in Japan, and the May 15 concert at Carnegie featuring soprano Natalie Dessay. Levine will return to the Met in the fall to conduct the new production of Don Giovanni, which opens October 13.

The Carnegie program will remain the same except that Richard Strauss’s Don Juan, Opus 20 will replace Debussy’s Images pour orchestre.

Maestro Luisi is currently conducting a run of Rigoletto at the Met and leads the first of three performances of Ariadne auf Naxos tomorrow.

EARLIER: The news has just broken that Elina Garanca “is expecting a baby at the end of October…. Garanca and her British-born husband, conductor Karel Mark Chichon, had informed their friends of the good news in a letter.” With the mezzo reportedly due in October, who’s going to sing Giovanna Seymour at the Met? [AFP]

Earlier this week Levine appeared at a 40th Anniversary Gala fundraiser on Sunday evening and conducted Walküre on Monday night. He also was interviewed yesterday by Terry Gross for NPR’s “Fresh Air” series.

“Levine will conduct upcoming performances of Wozzeck (April 6, 9, 13. and 16), the new production of Die Walküre (April 22, 25, 28, May 2, 5, 9, and 14), and two concerts with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall (April 10 and May 15) as scheduled.”

La Cieca now predicts the order of cancellations of these remaining performances: Met Orchestra April 10, Wozzeck (most likely all of them), Walküre (all or most, announced one performance at a time.)

Note: this is not gloating; this is thinking realistically and unsentimentally about a huge millstone Levine has laid around the Met’s neck. The Boston Symphony had the balls to cut him loose; may we not hope that the maestro will do the right thing and spare his beloved home company the destructive dissension and strife that will result if they have to make that first move to get him out the door?

Pavel Smelkov will conduct tomorrow’s matinee performance of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, replacing Valery Gergiev. Maestro Gergiev’s manager issued the follow statement: “Valery Gergiev is unable to travel to New York to conduct Boris Godunov at the Metropolitan Opera on Saturday, March 12 due to exhaustion. He has been resting in St. Petersburg and will remain at home to recuperate. He has been advised by his doctors not to fly.”

Note: we don’t say it, Gergiev’s manager says it. We don’t have to believe it, we just have to repeat it.

La Cieca thinks this is a cheesy way to end what has been a pretty spectacular Met career, but not, perhaps, totally out of character.

PREVIOUSLY: La Cieca has heard of sweeping changes of cast in important Verdi revivals across the pond: Elisabete Matos has suddenly been dropped from Rome Opera’s Riccardo Muti-helmed Nabucco, with Csilla Boross jumping in as Abigaille.

Meanwhile, over at London’s Royal Opera, Micaela Carosi has vanished from the title role of Aïda after what La Cieca heard described as her “execrable” performance at the general rehearsal. Liudmyla Monastyrska is now scheduled to sing the first night on Friday.

EARLER: La Cieca has been alerted that “wir arme Publikum” should be ready for a major cancellation/casting change announcement from the Met in the next day or so.

In other breaking news, the moon rises in the east and sets in the west.

EARLIER: La Cieca hears from a generally reliable source that James Levine has resigned from his post as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Expect an official announcement later today.

EARLIER: Angela Gheorghiu has just announced on her Facebook page that she has cancelled all her Met performances of Roméo et Juliette.