NEW YORK (AP) – Anna Netrebko’s decision not to sing the title role in Bellini’s “Norma” has led to a merry-go-round of soprano cast changes at the world’s leading opera houses.
Netrebko said last week she no longer felt comfortable adding in the role and withdrew from performances scheduled to open the 2016-17 season at London’s Royal Opera and the 2017-18 season at New York’s Metropolitan Opera.
As a result, the Met said Tuesday it had released Sonya Yoncheva from a revival of Puccini’s “La Boheme” this fall, allowing Yoncheva to replace Netrebko at Covent Garden, where “Norma” opens Sept. 12.
Ailyn Perez will sing in “La Boheme” after announcing last week she was withdrawing from what would have been her role debut as Tatiana in Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin” at the Dallas Opera, a staging that starts performances on Oct. 28.
Sondra Radvanovsky will take over from Netrebko in New York, where “Norma” opens on Sept. 25, 2017, after the Vienna State Opera released her from Verdi’s “Il Trovatore,” a staging in which she will be replaced by Netrebko.
The Met also said Netrebko will sing in a “Trovatore” revival during 2017-18 in addition to the title role of Puccini’s “Tosca.”