Posted April 08, 2013

Posted April 8th 2013

The Berlin Staatsoper is presently performing in temporary quarters at the Schiller Theater while the Unter den Linden Theater is undergoing much-needed renovation. Perhaps the change of address information didn’t reach Siegfried (tenor Lance Ryan). The audience members were in their seats waiting for the curtain to rise on Siegfried and an announcer came onto the stage. The shocking news, Lance Ryan would not be singing Siegfried because . . . he did not show up at the theater and where he was, no one knew.

Luckily, just down the street at the Philharmonie, Andreas Schager was appearing in Zauberflöte as the 1st Armored Man, Schager had even sung the role of Siegfried. He was rushed into the theater, however, he had no instruction on the staging. A stagehand acted the role of Siegfried while Schager sang from the side of the stage.

For Act II and III, Mr. Ryan DID appear. 

You can read more about it on the Intermezzo Blog:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/13dea0a09f648470

UPDATE FROM THE STAATSOPER :

Andreas Schager spectacularly covers for the title part during yesterday’s performance of Wagner’s Siegfried

 Yesterday at 3.40 pm – shock behind the scenes of the Staatsoper: The performance of Siegfried is due to begin in 20 minutes and Lance Ryan, the singer of the title role, won’t make it in time due to a misunderstanding.

While the audience is already let in the sold out auditorium and the ensemble is ready waiting in costume and make-up, the opera director begins with the almost hopeless search for a new tenor, who could rescue the performance.

At 3.45 pm Daniel Barenboim suggests Andreas Schager, who is supposed to give his debut at the Berlin Staatsoper as Siegfried in Götterdämmerung the following Wednesday. As if by magic Schager is already in Berlin and on top of that he is found very nearby – on the third floor of the Schiller Theater in the rehearsal room.

When asked if he would take over the role of Siegfried in only ten minutes he stays cool and answers »Ok, I can do that«. The assistant director Derek Gimpel jumps into Lance Ryan’s costume, which thankfully fits perfectly, and takes over the acting on stage, while Andreas Schager sings from the side of the stage. The performance begins bang on time and Andreas Schager give his sensational early debut at the Staatsoper. The audience rewards him with massive applause as well as later Lance Ryan who made it in time for the second act.

Andreas Schager then had to hurry on to his next performance of the evening: As Erster Geharnischter in the concertante performance of Mozart’s Die Zauberflöte together with the Berliner Philharmoniker conducted by Sir Simon Rattle at 6 pm in the Philharmonie.