“Clémentine Margaine will make her Met debut in the title role of Bizet’s Carmen this Thursday, January 19.”
“Paul Appleby will sing the role of Don Ottavio in this season’s September and October performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, replacing Rolando Villazón, who has withdrawn due to illness.”
From the Met: “Jonas Kaufmann has canceled his performances in this season’s new production of Puccini’s Manon Lescaut due to illness.”
Roberto De Biasio and Gwyn Hughes Jones will sing Pinkerton in the initial performances of Puccini’s Madama Butterfly at the Met this spring.
Due to illness, soprano Nadine Sierra is unable to perform. Replacing Ms. Sierra in the title role of Lucia is Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova.”
Zeljko Lucic has withdrawn from his spring Met engagements due to illness.
“Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Luca Salsi will sing the role of Rodrigo in this season’s performances of Verdi’s Don Carlo, replacing Simon Keenlyside, who has withdrawn from the run due to illness.” So says the Met’s press department.
“Matthias Goerne is stepping into the title role in tonight’s opening night performance of Berg’s Wozzeck, replacing Thomas Hampson, who has withdrawn due to illness.”
Daniela Sindram will sing the role of Octavian and Rúni Brattaberg will sing the role of Baron Ochs in this evening’s performance of Strauss’s Der Rosenkavalier.
UPDATE: This just in from the Met press office: “Hei-Kyung Hong will sing the role of Juliette in Roméo et Juliette for performances from March 3 through March 22 this season, replacing Angela Gheorghiu, who is ill. The role of Juliette for the Saturday, March 26 performance is TBA.” EARLIER: Angela Gheorghiu has just announced…
The much-publicized Takesha Meshé Kizart has withdrawn “due to illness” from the title role of Maria di Rohan at Caramoor tomorrow night (!!!) to be replaced by her cover, Jennifer Rowley.
“Mexikanische Startenor” Rolando Villazón has canceled tomorrow night’s performance of L’elisir d’amore at the Munich Opera Festival due to an “acute infection.” Speaking of “a cute,” substituting in the role of Nemorino will be puppylicious Pavol Breslik. [via]
La Cieca has just heard that James Morris and Hei-Kyung Hong have withdrawn from Cincinnati Opera’s upcoming production of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg, due to “recuperation from surgery” and “family issues,” respectively.
The cancellation of Anna Netrebko of her Vienna performances of I puritani — on five days’ notice — inspires La Cieca to introduce an all-new tag relevant to this sort of event.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
