NEW YORK (AP) -- A Polish tenor who is one of opera's rising stars will replace famed tenor Rolando Villazon in a Metropolitan Opera performance transmitted live to movie theaters worldwide, the Met announced Wednesday.

Opera fans' ears will be tuned to tenor Piotr Beczala on Saturday afternoon, when he sings the part of Edgardo in Donizetti's "Lucia di Lammermoor."

The Met said Villazon was ill with a cold.

Saturday's performance is part of "The Met: Live in HD" series, which reaches hundreds of movie theaters and other venues in the United States, Asia and Europe, including Beczala's homeland.

With his robust, appealing sound, the 42-year-old singer has quickly become one of the Met's favorite lyric tenors since his debut there two years ago as the Duke in Verdi's "Rigoletto."

He sang the role of Edgardo to public and critical acclaim last October and is appearing in Tchaikovsky's "Eugene Onegin."

In Europe, Beczala made his debut at London's Royal Opera House in 2004 and at Milan's Teatro alla Scala in 2006.

Other members of the cast for Saturday's "Lucia" remain as scheduled, including the Russian-born star soprano Anna Netrebko.

----

On the Net:

http://www.metoperafamily.org

© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Learn more about our Privacy Policy.