Very bad news...

The first thing I red was this article in the german magazine "Focus"

Villazón abandons Netrebko

Rolando Villazón called the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden off. The role in the opera "Iolanta" doesn't suit him. Anna Netrebko is for now without a duet partner.

The mexican tenor Rolando Villazón cancelled his participation in the opera production "Iolanta" at the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden. The singer constitutes this move in a letter within, that the role of Vaudemont doesn't suit in the repertoire, on which he wants to concentrate on in the next time, like the Festspielhaus notifyed on Thursday. Who will now sing next to the russian soprano Anna Netrebko, who sings the title role in the Tchaikovsky-opera, wasn't known already.

In defiance one "Werther"

The opera is scheduled on 18th, 21st and 24th. The musical director is Valery Gergiev. The Festspielhaus offers ticket owners, to give back their aquired tickets by price recompense. But he reckons, "that a lot of opera friends will already come just because of Netrebko, Gergiev and the ensemble of the St.Petersburgs' Mariinksy theatre and forgive Rolando the cancellation", said director Andreas Mölich-Zebhauser.

As consolation it should now give a third appointment for the concertant performance of the opera "Werther" by Jules Massenet on 14th June with Villazón and Elina Garanca. The two performances on 7th and 10th are like the Festspielhaus said already sold-out.

This was already a very big shock for me, but then I red at the New York Times (click here for reading the whole article) that Rolando will not sing Lucia on Saturday and that he will be replaced by Piotr Beczala ! OMG what a day ?! Have no more words for all this at the moment...