Meanwhile, bass-baritone Richard Sutliff has replaced Renato Brunson in the title role; Brunson was himself a replacement for Thomas Quasthoff, who dropped out in February "for personal reasons." A press release said that Brunson had withdrawn because of "travel difficulties."

The performances on June 8 and 11, which close the Cleveland Orchestra's Severance Hall season, also feature soprano Twyla Robinson as Alice Ford and mezzo-soprano Felicity Palmer as Mistress Quickly. Music director Franz Welser-M‹st conducts; Andreas Zimmermann is the director.

Sutliff sang Falstaff at Los Angeles Opera last June; he has been seen at Houston Grand Opera, Dallas Opera, Tulsa Opera, and the Lyric Opera of Chicago, where he was a member of the Opera Center for American Artists.

Chernov has sung Ford at the Vienna State Opera and the Salzburg Festival. He has appeared at the Metropolitan Opera in several roles, including the title roles of Simon Boccanegra and Eugene Onegin.