Russian-Austrian soprano Anna Netrebko has withdrawn from her scheduled performances in Giuseppe Verdi’s Il trovatore at Madrid’s Teatro Real after doctors prescribed several weeks of complete physical and vocal rest.
According to a statement issued by the Teatro Real, Netrebko became unwell following her recital at the opera house on 29 June. Her representative said she was suffering from severe physical exhaustion and vocal fatigue, aggravated by extreme weather conditions. After examining the soprano, a doctor recommended absolute physical and vocal rest for the coming weeks, forcing her to cancel her appearances in the production.
Italian soprano Eleonora Buratto will replace Netrebko as Leonora in the performances on 6, 9, 13 and 16 July.
Buratto confirmed the engagement on social media, noting that she had made her role debut as Leonora earlier this season and saying she was pleased to perform the role again in Madrid. In a separate message, she wished Netrebko “all the best as she recovers.”
The Teatro Real said Netrebko expressed her sincere regret for the cancellation, apologising to colleagues and audiences and asking for their understanding.
The opera house added that it still expects the soprano to return later this year for Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle in November, before appearing as the title character in Amilcare Ponchielli’s La Gioconda in March 2027.
The production of Il trovatore, which closes the Teatro Real’s 2025/26 season, runs from 29 June to 20 July in a revival of the staging first presented in Madrid in 2019. Conducted by Nicola Luisotti and directed by Francisco Negrín, the run features four different casts, including Marina Rebeka, Saioa Hernández, Piotr Beczała and Artur Ruciński alongside Buratto in the role of Leonora.
Although cancellations by leading singers are not uncommon during demanding international seasons, Netrebko’s withdrawal is a significant change for one of the summer’s highest-profile European opera productions. Buratto, meanwhile, is widely regarded as one of Italy’s leading Verdi sopranos, making the replacement one of the strongest available for the role.
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