Swiss newspaper "Aargauer Zeitung" reports that maestro Christoph von Dohnányi is out of Zurich Opera's Tosca opening this coming Sunday (with Jonas Kaufmann and Thomas Hampson singing his first Scarpia; directed by Robert Carsen); Paolo Carignani steps on the podium (CvD himself had earlier replaced the original choice for the production, Michael Tilson Thomas). Now von Dohnányi has left: either -- the paper speculates -- out of disagreement with the singers or the director.
Opera Chic is an unabashed von Dohnányi fan -- a true musician and a man of deep nobility -- but the consolation is at least that Carignani is a very worthy replacement.