A star mezzo is not yet ready to return
NewsThe Georgian mezzo-soprano Anita Rachvelshvili has been replaced by La Scala tonight in Adriana Lecouvreur.
She says:
‘I had to make a very difficult decision and cancel my second performance of Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Alla Scala and also Verdi Requiem with Maestro Barenboim and Berlin Philharmonic on March 11,12 and 13.
After 2+ years of pandemic and very difficult pregnancy I felt that I have to be back as soon as possible to be able to support my family and our little angel, but my body is just not working yet.
I gave birth on November 30 and I started studying on January 1st with my teacher Maestro David Holst.
we’ve been working hard together with my teacher and my husband who supported me always and in everything but the body is just not ready yet and I need a period of studies without having stress of performance ahead of me!
I hope I will be able to come back for my last 2 performances of Adriana Lecouvreur at La Scala on March 16th and 19th.’
Can’t sing March 13, but maybe by March 16. Sounds like BS to me.
Clearly, you know what it’s like to give birth and go back to work shortly thereafter then. It sounds like she sang a premiere, and she wasn’t happy with her own work, thereby deciding to cancel four very well-paying and high profile performances to concentrate on taking care of her health and voice. Seems like a pretty respectable thing to do.
Sorry, but her excuse and your comment don’t make much sense. She didn’t go back to work shortly after giving birth. She says she gave birth on November 30th, and because of that she can’t sing on March 13th but can on March 16th. I can understand an excuse on grounds of short term vocal indisposition (cold, flu), but to say you can’t sing on date X because you gave birth more than three months ago and your body isn’t ready yet, but can sing three days later… What, will her body magically mend itself in three days? Couldn’t in 100+ days (70+ if you count from Jan 1st) but will in 3? Let’s be sensible. I’m sure she can’t sing on 13th, otherwise she wouldn’t have cancelled, but the excuse is totally implausible. Let’s wish her fast recovery from whatever it ails her and move on.