(Credit: © DR / Opéra National de Paris official website)

The Royal Concertgebouw has announced that the famed conductor Fabio Luisi will not lead the orchestra during the 2020 Christmas Matinee on Dec. 25, 2020.

Maestro Luisi has tested positive for COVID-19 and has to spend 10 days in quarantine. Additionally, tenor Piero Pretti had to cancel the performance due to non-COVID-19 issues.

Klaus Mäkelä will conduct instead of Luisi. The Finnish conductor will be leading the orchestra in Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony and Debussy’s “La mer.”

Fabio Luisi is slated to go back on stage for the performance of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in June 2021.

The Christmas Matinee is broadcast by AVROTROS on Dec. 25 via Dutch national radio station NPO Radio 4 (at 2 p.m. CET) and on television via NPO2 (at 3 p.m. CET). Outside the Netherlands, the concert is streamed on Dec. 26 via the company’s official website.

OperaWire sends its best to Maestro Luisi during these difficult times.