Opéra de Paris has announced a cast change for its production of “Das Rheingold.”

The company said, “Ludovic Tézier, unwell, has been obliged to withdraw from the new production of Richard Wagner’s ‘Das Rheingold,’ directed by Calixto Bieito. Influenza prevents him from completing all the rehearsals required for this role debut. The baritone is immensely disappointed at having to give up this role. This dream, shared with Alexander Neef, General Director of the Opéra National de Paris, was set to be a highlight of the season and a much-anticipated event for audiences.”

As a result, the role of Wotan is taken over by Iain Paterson for all performances at the Opéra Bastille from January 29 to February 19.

Paterson is well known for his Wagner roles and has performed at such theaters as the Metropolitan Opera, the Berlin Staatsoper Unter den Linden, the Wiener Staatsoper, the Royal Opera House, the Lyric Opera in Chicago, the Houston Grand Opera, the Leipzig Opera, the Dresden Semperoper, the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam, the Rome Opera, La Monnaie in Brussels, and the Frankfurt Opera.

He joins a cast that includes Florent Mbia, Matthew Cairns, Simon O’Neill, Kwangchul Youn, Mika Kares, Brian Mulligan, Gerhard Siegel, Eve-Maud Hubeaux, Eliza Boom, and Marie-Nicole Lemieux. Pablo Heras-Casado conducts the production by Calixto Bieito.

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