(Credit: Dimitri Bourriau)

The Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris has announced the cancellation of the production of Händel’s “Messiah” that was on the repertoire between Jan 19 – 29, 2022.

“Sanitary constraints lead us to cancel the performances of the ‘Messiah’,” said the opera house in an official statement. “More than 200 people, artists and staff, are directly involved every day during the rehearsals. The risks that currently weigh are too high for us to be able to accommodate a production of this magnitude. All ticket holders for canceled performances will be contacted for reimbursement arrangements.”

The famed Händel’s work was set to star soprano Anna Devin, alto Christine Rice, tenor Allan Clayton, and bass Christopher Purves. Stefano Montanari was signed on to conduct a production by Deborah Warner.

France is undergoing a massive COVID-19 wave driven by both the Delta and Omicron variants. The country has logged new 219,126 cases on Jan. 1, 2022.