Covent Garden is hit by ‘newly-imposed travel restrictions’
mainpress release:
We are sorry to announce that due to newly-imposed travel restrictions, Sonya Yoncheva has had to withdraw from The Royal Opera: Live in Concert performance this Friday 4 September. We are delighted to announce that soprano Kristine Opolais will be taking to the stage to sing ‘Song to the Moon’ from Rusalka, and Act I duet fromTosca alongside Gerald Finley, Filipe Manu, Jeremy White and the Royal Opera Chorus.
Here’s an idea: instead of pouring even more money into the accounts of, already over-paid so-called star names from abroad – who’ve barely been affected by the pandemic – how about supporting some of the many, very fine, British singers who’ve seen their livelihoods ripped apart by it since March. As an example, any of the leading three members of cast in Scottish Opera’s forthcoming ‘Boheme’ could easily grace the stage in Bow Street!
The artists are not getting paid, according to the info I read, to do this performance. It’s pro bono. This is an effort to raise money for the ROH. So if anything is being poured into an account, it’s going directly to Covent Garden.
Good idea – better than British singers just begging money from the government.
Support British singers who might still be counting Covid losses at home
The current issue of Private Eye has done a grand hatchet job on the new Chairman of ROH. You can read it all on page 19.
Oh dear… just the same over-worked voice like Yoncheva, both pretty young sopranos (not even in their 40s) who have already lost their top notes. Nothing special even when they “kind of” reached these notes.
How come Pappano accepts this? Is this really the Royal Opera today? How very sad.
Cheers