The Metropolitan Opera has announced that Berlioz’s “La Damnation de Faust” will be performed in a concert version instead of in Robert Lepage’s acclaimed production.

The company announced that “The decision to present ‘La Damnation de Faust’ in its more usual concert version is driven by the unanticipated technical demands of reviving the Met’s staged production, which proved to be impossible to accommodate within the company’s production schedule.” 

According to the New York Times, “the Met said that it decided not to revive the production after officials realized that they would need to revamp some elements of it to meet newer industry safety standards, refurbish some of its automated mechanical systems, and update video projections that are more than a decade old.”

The decision also meant cutting back on performances. As a result, the company will present four performances instead of the originally planned seven. Elina Garanca and Ildar Abdrazakov will star in all four performances while tenors Bryan Hymel and Michael Spyres will divide the title role. Edward Gardner will conduct all four performances.