(Credit: Achim Graf)

The Staatsoper Unter den Linden has announced that mezzo-soprano Elīna Garanča will not be appearing in the title role of Camille Saint-Saëns’ opera “Samson et Dalila” on Dec. 5, 2021.

As a result, mezzo-soprano Anna Lapkovskaja will take over the role. The mezzo joins a cast that includes Michael Volle, Jongmin Park, Paul Gay, Magnus Dietrich, Benjamin Chamandy, and Andreas Schager in the title role. Thomas Guggeis conducts a production by Damián Szifron.

Lapkovskaja is a well-known mezzo-soprano who has appeared at the Teatro alla Scala, Bayerische Staatsoper, Staatsoper Nürnberg, and Staatstheater Wiesbaden, among others.

Garanča is slated to sing the second performance on Dec. 8 as well as the rest of the performance run.

“Samson et Dalila” opens on Dec. 5, and is set to run through Dec. 19, 2021.