Riccardo Frizza has canceled his upcoming performance of “Maria Padilla” at the Teatro de la Maestranza in Seville.

The conductor took to social media and said, “Dear friends of Teatro de la Maestranza, with all my regret I have to cancel my debut with ‘Maria Padilla’ in concert form, scheduled for May 2. It was a date I was looking forward to, both for the prestige of the Seville Theater and for the opportunity to direct this opera by Donizetti. Unfortunately, recent health issues have forced me to take a forced rest period, per medical recommendation. I sincerely apologize to the theater management, to all the artistic team involved and, above all, to the audience. Hope to meet you all soon on a new occasion.”

As a result, Sasha Yankevych will conduct the rarely performed Donizetti work.

The opera will star Francesco Demuro, Kristina Mkhitaryan, Silvia Tro Santafé, and Andrey Zhilikhovsky.

Frizza is set to return to the podium later in May for “La Boheme” at the Metropolitan Opera.

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