Sonya Yoncheva Cancels Final ‘Otello’ Performance After Sudden Collapse
By Francisco SalazarSonya Yoncheva canceled the final performance of Verdi’s “Otello” at the Metropolitan Opera on Jan. 10, 2019.
The soprano canceled about an hour before the curtain, announcing via social media that she had a concerning health-related episode that forced her to withdraw from the final performance.
“I am so, so, so sorry I can’t perform tonight for the last Otello at the @metopera, ” she stated on her Instagram account. “Couple of hours ago at home, I was preparing for the show, when suddenly I collapsed. I feel very weak and I will certainly need few days to recover. Thank you so much for your comprehension. Yours, Sonya. #sonyayoncheva”
In her stead, Jennifer Check interpreted the role. Check, who appeared as Elena in “Mefistofele” earlier this season at the Met, was the third soprano to take on the role in 2018-19 following Julianna di Giacomo who performed in “Otello” on Dec. 28, 2018.
This had been a successful run for Yoncheva, with OperaWire’s review of the second performance of the run noting, “The Bulgarian soprano delivered what was undeniably one of her finer performances on the Met Stage in recent years.
Fortunately for Met audiences, the diva will be back up on the New York stage in a couple of weeks when she appears as “Iolanta.” She is also set for productions of “Otello,” “Tosca,” and “Norma,” throughout Europe in coming months.
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