The Royal Opera House today announces that sadly Jonas Kaufmann has withdrawn from tomorrow evening’s performance of Werther due to illness. The role of Werther will now be performed by Juan Diego Flórez. 

One of opera’s greatest talents, Juan Diego Flórez has performed extensively with The Royal Opera, in roles including Rodolfo in La bohème, Orphée in Orphée et Eurydice, Tonio in La Fille du régiment, Uberto in La donna del lago, Count Almaviva in Il barbiere di Siviglia and Corradino in Mathilde di Shabran. He last performed the role of Werther at Covent Garden in this production in 2019. 

Flórez sings for opera companies worldwide including Teatro alla Scala, Milan, Vienna State Opera, Metropolitan Opera, New York, and Paris Opéra. He has sung many tenor roles in operas by Bellini, Rossini and Donizetti and specialises in French romantic repertoire. Flórez has been honoured by the government of Peru with their highest decoration and is a UNESCO Ambassador. In 2011, he founded Sinfonía por el Perú, a social inclusion project that uses music to transform the lives of young people in his home country. Recent appearances include Gluck’s Orphée (Milan), Edgardo (Bavarian State Opera, Vienna), Hoffmann (Opéra de Monte-Carlo), Ricciardo in Ricciardo e Zoraide (Rossini Opera Festival, Pesaro), Alfredo Germont (Metropolitan Opera) and Duke of Mantua, Rossini’s Almaviva, Des Grieux in Manon and Faust (Vienna). 

The rest of the cast remains as previously scheduled.