To the dismay of fans in the US, Jonas Kaufmann announced on Friday that he would no longer be appearing in the Metropolitan Opera’s highly awaited new production of Tosca next season, just weeks after the house had announced his involvement. The news followed hard on the heels of his return following a series of cancelled European appearances in order to recover from a burst blood vessel located on his vocal cord.

Tosca was to have marked his long awaited return to the Met stage: in 2015, he cancelled two sold-out performances of Carmen, and withdrew from a new production of Manon Lescaut last year, which was to have continued his exciting artistic partnership with Latvian soprano Kristine Opolais. The new staging was to be a starry affair and a centrepiece of the 2017/2018 season. Premiering on New Year’s Eve, Sir David McVicar’s production was to have starred Kaufmann as Cavaradossi to Opolais’ Tosca, with Bryn Terfel as the marauding Scarpia. It was to be conducted by Boston Symphony Orchestra chief Andris Nelsons, who also happens to be married to Opolais.

“I very much love singing at the Met and for its wonderful audience,” Mr Kaufmann said in a statement. “But...