Erika Sunnegårdh

This weekend Swedish-American soprano Erika Sunnegårdh made her debut at the Met singing the title role in Beethoven's "Fidelio." Sunnegårdh was a virtual unknown in the opera world until she was "discovered" in 2004. Until that time she had been waiting tables, singing in recitals and churches, and perfecting her craft. She had been contracted by the Met to cover for Finnish soprano Karita Matilla in this run of "Fidelio," but until this weekend had never actually sung the role on stage. An article in the New York Times likened this turn of events to "the Yankees starting a pitcher who had done nothing more than toss batting practice, or the president appointing a beat cop as defense secretary." It further points out that renowned tenor Plácido Domingo who stepped in for Franco Corelli in 1968 to make his Met debut. In another New York Times article, Anthony Tommasini points out that Sunnegårdh's performance was not without flaws and "a fuller assessment will have to await her future appearances."