He Likes a Challenge

Complete text of a Metropolitan Opera Cast Change Advisory:

Roberto Alagna will sing the title role in Gounod’s Faust this evening, replacing Joseph Calleja, who is ill.

Alagna sang Faust last month on December 23 and 28 and will sing the role of Cavaradossi tomorrow evening in the season premiere of Puccini’s Tosca. Alagna has frequently stepped in on short notice at the Met, most notably in the fall of 2007 when he sang two performances of Roméo in Roméo et Juliette substituting for a colleague, then two scheduled performances of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly before taking over as Radamès in Aida for one performance on very short notice.

It is extremely rare for an opera singer to perform leading roles on two consecutive evenings, but Alagna volunteered because he enjoys the challenge. “To sing Faust and Tosca on consecutive nights makes my adrenaline flow,” he said. “This is what makes being an opera singer so exciting for me.”

Faust is conducted by Alain Altinoglu and also stars Marina Poplavskaya, Kate Lindsey, George Petean, and Ferruccio Furlanetto in other principal roles.