Figaro, Figaro, Figaro, Figaro!

Cast change announcement from the Met, re tonight's Barbiere; bad news for people who bought tickets to see Peter Mattei (and who wouldn't buy a ticket to see Peter Mattei):

Edward Parks and Maurizio Muraro will sing the roles of Figaro and Dr. Bartolo respectively, in Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia at this Saturday evening’s performance. They will replace the originally scheduled Peter Mattei and Valeriano Lanchas, who are ill.

Mr. Parks is a graduate of the Met’s Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and a 2008 winner of the company’s National Council Auditions. He made his Met debut in 2009 as Fiorello in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and since then, he has sung Met performances of Puccini roles including Schaunard in La Bohème, Jim Larkens in La Fanciulla del West, and Perichaud in La Rondine, as well as a Flemish Deputy in Verdi’s Don Carlo. Later this season, he will sing Escamillo in Bizet’s Carmen at the Nashville Opera, Marcello in La Bohème at the Minnesota Opera, and Steve Jobs in Mason Bates’s The [R]evolution of Steve Jobs at the Santa Fe Opera.

Mr. Muraro has been singing the role of Bartolo in the current run. Saturday evening’s performance had been intended as his one night off. Mr. Lanchas is his cover. 

Saturday’s performance of Il Barbiere di Siviglia will be conducted by Maurizio Benini and star Pretty Yende as Rosina with Dmitry Korchak as Count Almaviva, and Oren Gradus as Don Basilio.