Voigt Bows Out of ‘Tristan und Isolde’ in Washington

Deborah Voigt has withdrawn from the role of Isolde in the Washington National Opera’s production of “Tristan and Isolde,” saying that the “unique challenges” of the role compelled her to bow out.  The 53-year-old soprano, who decided to leave the show a little more than a week before the curtain goes up, has been replaced by Iréne Theorin, a Swedish soprano.

Ms. Theorin will perform on Sept. 15, 18, 21 and 24. Alwyn Mellor, a British soprano, will sing the final performance, on Sept. 27 in the Wagner opera, which opens the season at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

“Returning to a role that I love but haven’t sung in a number of seasons, and encountering its unique challenges, has caused me to reconsider keeping it in my repertoire,” Ms. Voigt said in a statement about Isolde released by opera officials this weekend.  “I’m very disappointed that I feel compelled to withdraw from this production, but am very happy to continue my association with WNO both this season and into the future.”

Francesa Zambello, the opera’s artistic director, said in a telephone interview on Monday that she and Ms. Voigt had several post-rehearsal discussions about the difficulties of the Isolde role. The women have had a professional relationship and friendship for about 25 years, Ms. Zambello said, and spoke honestly about the difficulties of maintaining a peak performance.  After one such conversation on Friday, she and Ms. Voigt agreed that Ms. Voigt would withdraw, she said.

“We decided it was the best idea to have the courage and conviction to do this,” Ms. Zambello said. “I respect her as an artist for doing this.”

“Oh God, it’s a killer,” she said of the Isolde role. “In the repertoire for women, this and Brünnhilde are the most difficult Wagnerian roles. It’s a marathon role - you start the opera and finish the opera, at almost six hours. It has enormous vocal demands and great acting demands.”

She added: “I think the window of years people can sing these kinds of parts is not long. It takes a long time to get there and nature comes back to get you. Women are lucky if they get a good 10-year run with these big parts like Brünnhilde and Isolde.”

Ms. Voigt will remain at the company as the artist-in-residence with its Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist Program.

With Ms. Voigt‘s departure, Ms. Theorin was her first choice for the role, Ms. Zambelllo said. Ms. Theorin made her National Opera debut as Brünnhilde in “Siegfried” in 2009, Ms. Zambello said. She also worked with Ms. Theorin on the final two parts of Wagner’s “Ring” cycle for Washington National Opera.

Ms. Mellor is making her Washington National Opera debut in this production. She sang the role of Brünnhilde in Wagner’s earlier this year at the Opéra National de Paris and at the Seattle Opera.