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Canadian tenor Lance Ryan fails to show up for performance

The Canadian tenor Lance Ryan was due to sing the title role in Siegfried but accidentally missed Act I.

There were groans after an announcer arrived on stage just before curtain-up of Siegfried at the Berlin Staatsoper last night, but what he said must have surprised even the most regular opera-goer: "We don't know where our lead tenor is".

Canadian opera singer Lance Ryan was missing from the production of Wagner's opera – the third in the famous Ring cycle.

Finding a person who could step into such a part at such short notice would usually be rather difficult. Last night, however, it proved easy. Tenor Andreas Schager, who had sung the demanding role before, was due to sing The Magic Flute with the Berlin Philharmonic under Simon Rattle in the same building a few hours later. Fifteen minutes before Siegfried's curtain went up, conductor Daniel Barenboim made the decision that Schager would sing the part from the wings.

Meanwhile, one of the assistant directors dressed in Ryan's costume and went on stage.

Ryan arrived in time for Act 2, and got only lukewarm applause from the German audience. Schager instead received thunderous applause after Barenboim himself took him on for the Act 1 curtain call.

Although Ryan gave no reason for his tardiness, there were rumours that he had simply got the time wrong. The production was due to start at 4pm – an unusually early start for an opera, though not uncommon for the five-hour Siegfried.

Despite missing the whole of Act I, there were reports that, once there, Ryan's singing was outstanding.