Wife steps in as Vienna starts its season half an hour late

Wife steps in as Vienna starts its season half an hour late

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norman lebrecht

September 06, 2019

When Irina Lungu fell sick moments before the season’s opening Traviata, the Vienna State Opera was lucky to have Ekaterina Siurina in the audience, ready and willing to sing Violetta.

Ekaterina happens to be married to the tenor Charles Castronovo, who was singing Alfredo.

The director, Dominique Meyer, went out in front to explain that the curtain would be delayed by half an hour.

Last season, Castronovo jumped in from the audience to sing Rodolfo at the Royal Opera House in London, opposte Ekaterina’s Mimi.

They are making something of a habit of this.

photo Michael Pöhn/Vienna State Opera

 

 

Comments

  • John Rook says:

    Nice to be able to return the compliment.

  • Novagerio says:

    They are both pros, and it’s still better than being casted together…

  • 32VA says:

    Siurina is the real article. The audience lucked out.

  • PaulD says:

    This reminds me of Frank van Aken jumping in to replace Jonas Kaufmann as Siegmund, and singing with his wife Eva Maria Westbroeck as Sieglinda.

  • Peter Freeman says:

    Glad I was absent. From the photo, it looks out of period.

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