Joseph Calleja withdraws from `Parsifal' opening Bayreuth Festival on July 25

Tenor Joseph Calleja withdrew Monday from the title role in “Parsifal” that opens the annual Richard Wagner Festival at Bayreuth, Germany, and will be replaced by Andreas Schager.

Calleja, who had been scheduled to make his role debut, said in a statement he was advised by his doctor to withdraw because of a persistent throat infection.

“Goes without saying that this was a very hard decision to take, and I am so sorry for disappointing those of you who were looking forward to seeing me in this great opera and historic venue,” Calleja said.

“Parsifal” opens July 25 in a production by Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor Jay Scheib. A portion of the audience in the Festpielhaus will wear augmented reality glasses. There are seven performances through Aug. 27.

Schager made his Bayreuth debut in 2016 and sang Parsifal from 2016-19 in Uwe Eric Laufenberg's staging.

Schager had been scheduled to sing Erik in “Der Fliegende Holländer (The Flying Dutchman)” in a revival of Tobias Kratzer's 2019 staging. He will be replaced by Tomislav Mužek.

The festival runs through Aug. 28 in the hall built to Wagner's specifications that opened in 1876, with the orchestra in a covered pit.