Cancellitis bug hits Covent Garden

If an opera singer's sick, they might have to pull out of a production at short notice. That much I can accept, however disappointing it might be.

But what's with accepting a role, allowing an opera house to advertise a production and sell tickets on the back of your appearance, then deciding mere weeks before the start of rehearsals that you're not ready for it?

Hot on the heels of Elina Garanca's recent decision to withdraw
"from her role debut with The Royal Opera as The Composer in Ariadne auf Naxos. After careful consideration, she has decided not to add this role to her repertory"

now comes Nina Stemme's similarly-worded decision regarding
"her role debut with The Royal Opera as Amelia Grimaldi in Simon Boccanegra. After careful consideration, she has decided not to add this role to her repertory".

Both singers are old enough and experienced enough to assess their suitability for a role at the time they accept the booking. Or at least before the tickets go on sale.

So what is going on? Have they simply failed to squeeze in the necessary pre-rehearsal preparation? Squabbled with the producer/conductor? Seen the costume designs and fainted? Or should their statements be taken at face value?

Time at least for the Royal Opera House to rethink its no-refunds policy.

Comments

[missdezember]

Garanca talked about her decision to take Ariadne of Naxos out of her repertoiry at a public discusion in Vienna just recently. According to her, she'd just been singing Sesto and was getting ready to sing Octavian when she realized what she'd been planning no longer fit her voice and would be a step backwards.

Personally, I think it's cool she admits her boundaries rather than give a luke-warm performance... (then again, when she pulled out of the Vienna Ariadne, the tickets weren't widely on sale yet.)

[intermezzo]

Thanks, that's really interesting, and it makes sense. It's generous of her to be willing to talk about it, but I still think it's late in the day to be pulling out. Taking on any new role is a huge deal for any singer, and voices don't change overnight, so there should be plenty of time to consider this sort of decision.

[jan]

Not just about Garanca, but in general about Opera world! People tend to underestimate the following factors besides the singers decision: the theaters tend to enforce contracts not just months but even years before the performance (i.e. to book a singer for a lowest possible fee - as usually fees go up with years, as the singer becomes more famous), and opera fans sometimes try to buy tickets too early - i would see both of them become victims of their own greed!