La Cieca hears that Rene Pape has just canceled an upcoming production of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Now, we New Yorkers perhaps should not panic quite yet, because the engagement he has just asked to be released from is not at the Met.

On the other hand, the Hoffmann Pape is leaving is after his scheduled Met dates and (so La Cieca hears) the version of the music he was to be asked to sing is more or less identical to the mongrel edition James Levine uses at the Met. Which suggests that, in fact, maybe we should panic — because, if Pape can’t or won’t sing it “there,” he’s unlikely to go through with the hoopla of a Met new production, HD telecast and all that.