Terfel withdraws from Royal Opera's sold-out season at last minute
Topic: NEWS performers
The 41-year-old bass-baritone BRYN TERFEL had been scheduled to play Wotan - one of the most demanding roles in opera - for Covent Garden's first staged performance of Wagner’s Ring Cycle at short notice for “family reasons”. It was due to be one of the highlights of London's opera season: a full staging of Wagner's four-part Ring Cycle, the first in the capital for more than a decade and featuring one of Britain's most celebrated baritones in a major role. Confirmation of the Royal Opera House's production of the complete Ring had sent a flurry of excitement around the world and, spurred on by the participation of Bryn Terfel, tickets had sold out within days. Seats for a single instalment were reportedly sold for more than £800. But Monday 3 SEP 2007, a week into the eight-week rehearsal period, the opera company was forced to put out a stinging statement that provoked disappointment and fury in equal measure. Not for the first time in his illustrious career, Terfel had pulled out. ... Times Online - UK