Designated director (in 2010) of Vienna State Opera, Dominique Meyer, told Austrian State radio that
Audiences and critics are often "too nasty" to singers who are forced to cancel concerts or opera performances because of health issues (...)
"There are very few good singers, and all opera houses want the same ones. One has to treat them with care and protect them" the 52-year-old Frenchman told Austrian public radio Tuesday night. "If singers ruin their voices by overstraining them, then they are lost for us all. That would be a real pity," he added. Meyer, who is scheduled to take over Austria's leading opera house in 2010, said that star tenor Rolando Villazon was a case in point: the Mexican singer had been off stage for several months and only last weekend celebrated his much-acclaimed stage comeback in Jules Massenet's Werther.
Fastforward to 2010.
ORF headline: "Meyer Slams [ insert singer's name here ] For Sudden Cancellation"