Xabier Anduaga Cancels Teatro Real Debut Due to Severe Respiratory Illness
Spanish tenor Xabier Anduaga has canceled his opening-night performance at the Teatro Real due to a severe respiratory condition, operaactual.com reported. The Madrid opera house announced that the recital, originally scheduled for Sunday, October 4, will not take place as planned, and the venue will issue full ticket refunds to all purchasers.
The performance was set to launch the theater’s Voces del Real concert series. Conductor Julio García Vico was scheduled to lead the Orquesta Titular del Teatro Real for the evening of operatic arias.
Program Features Lyrical Works by French and Italian Composers
The ambitious program featured a demanding selection of lyrical works by French and Italian composers. The first half included three arias from Gaetano Donizetti’s La fille du régiment, Lucia di Lammermoor, and La favorite, opening with the notoriously difficult piece “Ah, mes amis, quel jour de fête!”
The first act also scheduled the overture to Vincenzo Bellini’s Norma, followed by “Una furtiva lagrima” from L’elisir d’amore, and concluded with “La donna è mobile” from Giuseppe Verdi’s Rigoletto.
The second half was set to open with the overture to Georges Bizet’s L’Arlésienne and “Je crois entendre encore” from Les pêcheurs de perles. Anduaga was scheduled to perform “L’amour! L’amour!… Ah! Lève-toi, soleil!” from Charles Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette.
Following a performance of Maurice Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte by the orchestra, the concert was slated to close with “Pourquoi me réveiller?” from Jules Massenet’s Werther. operaactual.com noted the program was designed as a demanding tour de force spanning multiple styles for the recipient of the 2021 ÓPERA ACTUAL award.
Teatro Real Box Office Provides Full Ticket Refunds
Patrons holding tickets for the October 4 recital will receive full refunds for their purchases directly from the Teatro Real box office. The theater has not yet announced a rescheduled date for Anduaga’s appearance or confirmed alterations to subsequent performances in the Voces del Real series.