Star Heldentenor Stefan Vinke walked the walk in the opening performance of the Royal Opera House Tannhäuser on 29 January.

That, unfortunately, was all he could do.

Indisposed, Vinke acted the title role in the revival of the 2016 Tim Albery production of Wagner’s opera, while Austria’s Norbert Ernst sang from the side of the stage.

According to the Royal Opera House website at time of writing, Vinke will be on stage alongside Lise Davidsen, Gerald Finley, Ekaterina Gubanova and Mika Kares for upcoming performances. As yet, there is no word on whether he will be actually singing.

Stefan Vinke. Photo © Opera Australia

Australian audiences with tickets to see and hear Vinke in Melbourne (Tannhäuser in Concert, 17 and 20 May) and his Siegfried in upcoming Götterdämmerung at the Queensland Performing Arts Centre in December will be wishing the singer a speedy recovery.

“The higher it gets, the easier it is” – read Clive Paget’s interview with Stefan Vinke