# Cancellations



## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

What's your experience ?


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

So far I have 3 experiences.

Poplavskaya cancelled Violetta in Amsterdam, 2013, on the same day of the performance. Joyce El-Khoury replaced her.

Netrebko cancelled Marguerite at ROH, 2014 just 2 months before the performance. Sonya Yoncheva replaced her.

Both substitutes were great. 

The Contessa in ROH's September 2013 Figaro run was replaced by Maria Bengtsson. Can't remember who was supposed to sing, but it was announced months in advance. She simply stole the show and gained a new fan.


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

Only two experiences:

I was going to London (from New Zealand) to see Kaufmann in Les Troyens. He cancelled. Brian Hymel stepped in and did well, but I find his voice a little tiring after 4 hours.

I also had tickets to see Toby Spence in Billy Budd. He cancelled. But no one can blame him, thyroid cancer is a pretty big deal. I simply can't remember who replaced him.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Many many years ago, the Royal Opera House had engaged Katia Ricciarelli for the first few performances of *La Traviata* (still in the old Visconti production) and Lucia Aliberti for the second. A friend of mine had two tickets for both Ricciarelli and Aliberti. Ricciarelli cancelled and the Royal Opera got Aliberti to take over. In the end she proved totally inadequate and my friend's companion gave up his second ticket, saying there was no way he could sit through another Aliberti performance, so the ticket was offered to me. Indeed so bad was Aliberti that the Royal Opera eventually sacked her and brought in a replacement. The replacement? Ileana Cotrubas. I certainly gained from this series of events and that *Traviata* was probably one of the most memorable performances I ever attended, though I have absolutely no recollection of the Alfredo and the Germont.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

My 2 experiences were actually pluses for me.
In the late '90's I had tickets to see "late" Pavarotti in Tosca at the Met for a Saturday matinee. He canceled a few days before performance time with Margison taking his place. When I got to the Met and was walking toward the entrance, a man was hawking tickets outside saying things like, "see Pavarotti". I thought that was such a mean way to sell a ticket only to find when I got inside that Pav decided to do it after all.

My second plus was seeing Don Carlo at the Met with Gorchakova as Elisabetta and she was so very bad that we all thought she was either ill or just ready to hang it up. The intermission went on and on and on and finally a Met spokesman came out to announce that G was indisposed and that Victoria Villarroel (sp) graciously agreed to step in.


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## Dongiovanni (Jul 30, 2012)

GregMitchell said:


> Many many years ago, the Royal Opera House had engaged Katia Ricciarelli for the first few performances of *La Traviata* (still in the old Visconti production) and Lucia Aliberti for the second. A friend of mine had two tickets for both Ricciarelli and Aliberti. Ricciarelli cancelled and the Royal Opera got Aliberti to take over. In the end she proved totally inadequate and my friend's companion gave up his second ticket, saying there was no way he could sit through another Aliberti performance, so the ticket was offered to me. Indeed so bad was Aliberti that the Royal Opera eventually sacked her and brought in a replacement. The replacement? Ileana Cotrubas. I certainly gained from this series of events and that *Traviata* was probably one of the most memorable performances I ever attended, though I have absolutely no recollection of the Alfredo and the Germont.


What a wonderfull story ! And the person who previously owned the ticket, how did he/she take this ?

Had you ever heard of Cotrubas at that time or even heard her sing ?


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## Don Fatale (Aug 31, 2009)

Domingo... Otello...(1990) indisposed.

Annoyingly the rohcollections.org.uk records it as a Domingo performance, when it was a chap called Geoffrey somebody from Wales brought in as a late replacement. He did great and was justly celebrated for his effort. Made the news, etc.

A memorable evening and it was my first experience of Carlos Kleiber. I'd never heard an orchestra sound like that!


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## deggial (Jan 20, 2013)

GregMitchell said:


> The replacement? Ileana Cotrubas.


what a stroke of luck! The replacement of the replacement turns out to be one of the best Traviatas


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Simon Keenlyside cancelled in 2012 _Le nozze di Figaro_ through illness. He was replaced by Lucas Meachem who was good and sang all the right notes (and in the right order  ) but he wasn't Simon.

Simon doesn't often cancel and he sang _Macbeth_ with his arm in a splint following surgery. Now I know he doesn't need his arm to sing but he was required to act and die convincingly and he did.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Only two experiences:
> 
> I was going to London (from New Zealand) to see Kaufmann in Les Troyens. He cancelled. Brian Hymel stepped in and did well, but I find his voice a little tiring after 4 hours.
> 
> I also had tickets to see Toby Spence in Billy Budd. He cancelled. But no one can blame him, thyroid cancer is a pretty big deal. I simply can't remember who replaced him.


Quite an adventure. It also included mice.


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

sospiro said:


> Quite an adventure. It also included mice.


Mice?? This wasn't some offbeat Regietheater production a la Neuenfels, so where did the mice come in?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Dongiovanni said:


> What a wonderfull story ! And the person who previously owned the ticket, how did he/she take this ?
> 
> Had you ever heard of Cotrubas at that time or even heard her sing ?


Oh gosh, yes. Cotrubas was already known for her Violetta by then, having already made the Kleiber recording. The previous owner of the ticket was pea green with envy.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

MAuer said:


> Mice?? This wasn't some offbeat Regietheater production a la Neuenfels, so where did the mice come in?


:lol:

I'll let *mamascarlatti* tell the rest of the story!


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

MAuer said:


> Mice?? This wasn't some offbeat Regietheater production a la Neuenfels, so where did the mice come in?


Haha in my bedroom at the hotel in Covent garden. I'm sure they were hunting for the marmalade sandwiches in sospiro's room.


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

mamascarlatti said:


> Haha in my bedroom at the hotel in Covent garden. I'm sure they were hunting for the marmalade sandwiches in sospiro's room.




I stayed in that room when I was in London for _Manon Lescaut_ and made sure I didn't drop any crumbs!


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## GraemeG (Jun 30, 2009)

Alexander said:


> Domingo... Otello...(1990) indisposed.
> 
> Annoyingly the rohcollections.org.uk records it as a Domingo performance, when it was a chap called Geoffrey somebody from Wales brought in as a late replacement. He did great and was justly celebrated for his effort. Made the news, etc.
> 
> A memorable evening and it was my first experience of Carlos Kleiber. I'd never heard an orchestra sound like that!


I remember that! I was in a scrum in the foyer of Covent Garden and missed getting a ticket!

For me, I was heading to Salzburg in 1989 to attempt to get a ticket to the sold-out Karajan Bruckner 8. And then Karajan had the gall to go and die the month before...
cheers,
GG


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## MAuer (Feb 6, 2011)

mamascarlatti said:


> Haha in my bedroom at the hotel in Covent garden. I'm sure they were hunting for the marmalade sandwiches in sospiro's room.


OMG! I hope management gave you a different room -- or would it have made any difference?


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## mamascarlatti (Sep 23, 2009)

MAuer said:


> OMG! I hope management gave you a different room -- or would it have made any difference?


Yes they did! A much nicer and bigger one!


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## Bellinilover (Jul 24, 2013)

I have no "in person" experience of cancellations, but I do remember how disappointed I was in 2000 or so when Bryn Terfel cancelled for the Met radio broadcast of _Les contes d'Hoffmann_ (in which he was singing all three villains). I can't recall the name of his replacement, but I do remember that his first aria received rather tepid applause. Neil Shicoff was Hoffmann, and Ruth Ann Swenson sang the heroines.


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## BevSills (Jul 23, 2014)

October 1975. I had tickets to see Montserrat Caballe in "Norma" at the War Memorial Opera House in San Francisco. Madame Caballe cancelled. And so I was very disappointed. But her replacement made up for any disappointment I would have had. The "Norma" that afternoon was the Dutch Soprano Cristina Deutekom. I shall never forget that performance. My Gosh, what a beautiful, powerful, agile and unique voice. She won me over as an eternal devotee and fan that matinee. I have collected all her CDs and pirated DVDs. What a spectacular






artist.


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## Lt.Belle (Jan 19, 2014)

wow what a story... I admire you


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