Jonas quits Covent Garden, and the subs are below par
NewsMessage from the Royal Opera House:
The Royal Opera House today announces that sadly Jonas Kaufmann has withdrawn from the final two performances of Werther on Saturday 1 July and Tuesday 4 July due to continued illness.
Saturday 1 July
The role of Werther will be performed by Francesco Demuro. Francesco Demuro made his Covent Garden debut in 2011 in Gianni Schicchi and has since performed the role of Alfredo Germont in La traviata, and the Duke of Mantua in Rigoletto. Demuro recently performed the role of Werther for Greek National Opera.
Tuesday 4 July
The role of Werther will be performed by Ioan Hotea. Ioan Hotea is a multi-award-winning lyric-tenor who has performed with many of the world’s leading companies. He has performed the role of Werther at both Hessisches Staatstheater Wiesbaden and at Oper Frankfurt.
Florez, who jumped in on Wednesday, is now in Verona for Rigoletto, although he doesn’t sing until 20th.
Francesco Demuro is currently in the alternate cast singing Roméo for the Paris Opera this week with Pretty Yende (so presumably can sing decent French) and squeezing in a quick trip to London tomorrow evening. There’s a pretty decent clip from Luisa Miller on YouTube – not necessarily sub-par.
Ioan Hotea I haven’t heard of – again a Werther clip on YouTube…
There’s a reason (drum roll, please) . . . . . they’re not Jonas Kaufmann. It was nice to label them as subpar.
Not true of Demuro in any case.
There does seem to be a great deal of illness around. Barely a day goes by without notice of one or several opera singers being replaced.
Well, you get who you can when your star cancels at short notice.
Demuro is considered here in Italy one of the best. Listen to him in ‘I Puritani’ with his FA Sopracuto and you will change your mind. Wonder where you got your opinion from….
I was fortunate enough to be there when Florez jumped in for JK. Florez was wonderful – such voice control, such ardour, such acting! The pair inspired each other to ever greater heights: truly a night to remember!
You were lucky. I got Demuro.
Kaufmann should be thinking of retiring. Last summer Cavalleria, now Werther…tickets for Lecouvrier in Barcelona, June next year already sold out…Got one.But I am sure he will not sing. I will be disappointed if he does sing. I wish Alagna steps in.