Earlier tonight, the Metropolitan Opera opened the 1987 Franco Zeffirelli revival of Puccini’s Turandot. Russian soprano Maria Guleghina was scheduled to sing in the title role but pulled-out last minute, leaving cover and Turandot second cast Lise Lindstrom to (quickly) step it up, roughly two weeks ahead of her scheduled Metropolitan Opera debut.
A tremendous auguri & complimenti to Ms. Lindstrom, who made her Metropolitan opera debut tonight, sharing the stage with Marcello Giordani's Calàf. We have no doubt she cold killed it, as she slayed the same role over the summer at Savonlinna and A Coruña -- and she'll go onto sing it next year at De Nederlandse Opera, Deutsche Oper Berlin, and San Diego Opera.