A performance of Tosca at the Royal Opera House was saved from disaster when young singer Freddie De Tommaso stepped up to take a leading role after its star tenor fell ill.
The 28-year-old from Kent came on halfway through the show when American singer Bryan Hymel who had been suffering with a cold, could not continue.
It meant De Tommaso, who was due to take on the role on Saturday, became the first British tenor to sing the role of Cavaradossi in Tosca at Covent Garden in almost 60 years and the youngest tenor to ever take on the role at the historic venue.
His performance, which won him glowing reviews from the critics, is in a rich tradition of unexpected debuts.
The legendary Luciano Pavarotti made his Covent Garden debut when he was an understudy for La Boheme in 1963.
De Tommaso’s debut album, Passione, topped the classical charts on its release earlier this year.
