Bayreuth loses its Brangäne
OperaThe Russian mezzo Ekaterina Gubanova has missed too many rehearsals with illness to take part in Tristan und Isolde, the festival has announced. She will be replaced as Brangäne by Christa Mayer.
It is still hoped that Gubanova will appear as Kundry in Parsifal and Venus in Tannhäuser.
Tristan opens on Thursday.
Er, this isn’t news. Christa Mayer has been rehearsing Brangäne for weeks and Irene Roberts Venus since mid-June. Hmm …
Losing your soprano can also be a sign of carelessness. In 2017 a French touring company lost their three Rhinemaidens in Lima and they had to make do with a seriously cut Rhinegold. They were never found again.