Maurisz Kwiecien and Peter Mattei will replace Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the Metropolitan Opera’s revival production of Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin.”

On Thursday the Russian baritone announced his withdrawal from all opera performances for the foreseeable future. He stated, “It is with great sadness that I must withdraw from opera performances for the foreseeable future. I have been experiencing balance issues associated with my illness, making it extremely difficult for me to perform in staged productions.”

Hvorostovsky was scheduled to sing the role of Eugene Onegin, a role that has been his signature for many years. The revival was to reunite Anna Netrebko and Hvorostovsky after receiving praise last season for their work in Verdi’s “Il Trovatore.”

As a result, Kwiecien and Mattei will share the run. Kwiecien, who opened the production when it debuted on opening night of the 2013-14 season, will sing performances on March 30, April 3 and 7.

Mattei will sing the last four performances scheduled for April 12, 15, 18 and 22, which will be broadcast live in HD. Mattei sang the role of Onegin in a revival at the Met in 2013 and he is slated to perform the role this season at the Paris National Opera alongside Netrebko. 

Mattei and Kwiecien will join Netrebko, Alexey Dolgov, Stefan Kocan and Elena Maximova. Robin Ticciati will conduct the whole run of the opera.

The Metropolitan Opera’s production of “Eugene Onegin” is by Deborah Warner and was recorded with Kwiecien and Netrebko back in 2013. The recording was released by Deutsche Grammphon on DVD.