When Munich's Bavarian State Opera released its 2006-07 schedule last week, Domingo was penciled into the title role of Wagner's Parsifal on April 1, 5, and 8, 2007. The problem was, he was already scheduled to sing Siegmund in Die Walk‹re, the second part of Washington National Opera's much-anticipated new Ring cycle, on March 24 and 28 and April 1, 5, 9, 14, and 17.

Asked about the discrepancy last week, a spokesperson for Washington National Opera said that the company, of which Domingo is general director, expected him to appear. "We have him in our schedule and in our brochure," she said. "We have a contract with him."

Edgar Vincent, Domingo's New York representative, suggested that Domingo might have arranged the Bavarian State Opera engagement personally with music director Kent Nagano, a friend (and the outgoing music director of Domingo's Los Angeles Opera). He added that the tenor "can do what he wants" in Washington.

Vincent did not return a call this week seeking further comment.

A representative of the Bavarian State Opera, meanwhile, said by email yesterday that "Mr. Domingo gave us the confirmation that he will sing in Munich, if he is still singing in 2007," raising a new possibility: that Domingo, who missed three months of engagements this season with an inflamed throat, might not appear for either engagement.

The representative added, "At the moment our artistic administration is trying to solve this problem of double booking."