Metropolitan Opera Announce Cast Change For October Production of TOSCA

Luca Salsi and George Gagnidze will sing Scarpia in the fall performances of Puccini's Tosca, replacing John Lundgren, who has withdrawn due to illness.

Italian baritone Luca Salsi makes his Met role debut as Scarpia, a role that he has previously sung at La Scala, the Paris Opera, the Bavarian State Opera, and the Salzburg Festival. He made his Met debut in 2007 as Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly, followed by appearances as Enrico in Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor, Rodrigo in Verdi's Don Carlo, Count di Luna in Verdi's Il Trovatore, Miller in Verdi's Luisa Miller, and Giorgio Germont in Verdi's La Traviata, which he will reprise at the Met later this fall. Other appearances with the company this season include his Met role debut in the title role of Verdi's Rigoletto, and Amonasro in Verdi's Aida.

Georgian baritone George Gagnidze, who has sung Scarpia numerous times with the company, made his Met debut in 2009 in the title role in Verdi's Rigoletto. Other Met roles include Amonasro in Verdi's Aida, the title role of Verdi's Macbeth, Shaklovity in Mussorgsky's Khovanshchina, Alfio in Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, Tonio in Leoncavallo's Pagliacci, and Michele in Puccini's Il Tabarro. He will sing Amonasro at the Met later this fall.

The fall run of Tosca opens October 4 and also features Aleksandra Kurzak as Tosca and Michael Fabiano and Roberto Alagna sharing the role of Cavaradossi. Carlo Rizzi conducts David McVicar's production.

Remaining performances are October 8mat, 11, 15, 19, 24, 27, 31; and November 4.

For casting details and dates, visit metopera.org.

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