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The Barbican has announced that Thomas Hampson will withdraw for personal reasons from the recital with Susan Graham on 17 March in Barbican Hall. He will be replaced by Bryn Terfel.
Terfel, who has appeared in London as Wotan and The Flying Dutchman in recent years, will soon be seen as Gianni Schicchi at the Royal Opera House. His appearance in concert is reasonably rare these days, and a return to the Barbican will bring him close to his training ground, at the Guildhall School next door.
American Susan Graham is one of the finest mezzos in the world today. She was last seen at the Royal Opera as the Composer in Richard Strauss' Ariadne auf Naxos and appeared at the Proms last year, performing Chausson's Poemes de l'amour et de la mer.
The programme will include Rossini's Overture to Italian Girl in Algiers, arias from Mozart's Don Giovanni and La Clemanza di Tito, extracts from Wagner's Flying Dutchman and pieces by Berlioz, Tchaikovsky and Glinka. The BBC Symphony Orchestra will be conducted by Jiri Belohlavek.
There are tickets available but, with this announcement, it's likely that London-based Terfel fans will snap them up very quickly.
Update (15 March):
Susan Graham has now also pulled out of the concert, due to sickness. She will be replaced by Sarah Connolly.
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