Dutch diva dumps Covent Garden
OperaThe Royal Opera informs us that Eva-Maria Westbroek has withdrawn from all performances of Festen ‘due to personal reasons’.
The new opera by Mark Anthony Turnage, based on the Danish cult film, does not premiere until next February. Whatever the personal reasons, they seem likely to last a very long time. Probably not to do with the score: she starred in Turnage’s last opera, Anna-Nicole.
Westbroek, 54, will be replaced by the young English mezzo-soprano Rosie Aldridge.
Also in the cast are Allan Clayton, Stéphane Degout, Gerald Finley and Natalya Romaniw.
Please be kind. You never know what someone might be going through in their life.
Very true. Rather a lot unkind speculation on this post.
We don’t want to get snarky over this, because the personal reasons could be fairly sad, or even tragic.
Young?
Does such a remarkable film need to be made into an opera?!
An opera on „Festen“? Didn’t we already suffer through „The Exterminating Angel“ or do we need more dinner party operas?
Dumps?
Typically provocative choice of words. Do you know what her personal reasons are?
Operabase has her down for two Proms with the Rotterdam Philarmonic – tomorrow and Saturday. However, the orchestra’s own website says the soprano soloist is Emily Pogorelc.
Is she also ‘dumping’ Rotterdam? There is nothing else on her Operabase schedule before the Turnage. Maybe she has genuine reasons for pulling out and is not simply ‘dumping’ (on?) Covent Garden.
She also cancelled Rotterdam
I am sad to read of her recent cancellations. Eva-Maria is a brilliant artist and I have been fortunate to attend many of her performances over the years. I hope all is well.
I think she has quietly retired. No performances in the past months and nothing in the future. She did a masterclass recently on dutch television.
Her voice has been gone for years.