In Strauss' Comedy, A New Ingénue

Late casting change in Der Rosenkavalier.
by Paul J. Pelkonen

"The Presentation of the Rose" from Act II of Der Rosenkavalier.
Photo © 2009 The Metropolitan Opera.

In a late breaking item (courtesy of  Lisa Hirsch at The Iron Tongue of Midnight) soprano Erin Morley will take over as Sophie in the Metropolitan Opera's 2013 revival of Der Rosenkavalier. The Richard Strauss comedy, one of the composer's most beloved comic creations, opens Friday at the Metropolitan Opera House.
Ms. Morley replaces Mojca Erdmann, who is recovering from pneumonia, the blog reported.
This is the second major casting change in the Met's revival of the Strauss comedy. Earlier this year, mezzo-soprano Elina Garança bowed out as Octavian, due to pregnancy. That role will be split between Alice Coote and Daniela Sindram.
Ms. Erdmann and Ms. Morley shared the role of the Forest Bird in the company's recent Robert Lepage production of Siegfried, but this marks Ms. Morley's first appearance on the big stage in a major operatic role.
An American singer and graduate of The Juilliard School, Ms. Morley made her house debut with a small role in Puccini's Manon Lescaut in 2008. Since then, Ms. Morley has been a bit player in operas like The Nose, The Queen of Spades and Hansel und Gretel..
This is most likely the last revival of this celebrated Robert O'Hearn production of Der Rosenkavalier at the Met, which has played steadily since 1969. This set of performances also commemorates the centennial of the Strauss comedy, which made its debut at the old Met Opera House in 1913.