(Credit: Semperoper Dresden official website)

The Royal Opera House Covent Garden has announced that tenor Bryan Hymel will not be appearing in the role of Mario Cavaradossi in Puccini’s “Tosca” on Dec. 11, 2021 at 7:30 p. m. GMT.

As a result, Italian tenor Riccardo Massi will take over the role. Massi joins a cast that includes Alexey Markov as Scarpia and Elena Stikhina in the title role. The cast also includes Yuriy Yurchuk, Hubert Francis, Jeremy White, and Jihoon Kim. Oksana Lyniv conducts a production by Jonathan Kent.

Hymel had to be replaced after the First Act of the opera on Dec. 8 as he developed vocal issues. British tenor Freddie de Tommaso stepped in and saved the performance.

Massi is a well-known tenor who has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera House, Teatro alla Scala, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Semperoper Dresden, Bolshoi Theatre, Greek National Opera, Canadian Opera Company, Houston Grand Opera, Gran Teatre del Liceu, and Den Norske Opera, among others.

Hymel is still scheduled to sing the role of Cavaradossi on Dec. 15, 2021.