Dame Joan Sutherland to Retire

Dame Joan Sutherland says she wants to be remembered for her voice in its prime, so she has withdrawn from what were to be her last appearances in Covent Garden later this year.

The 63-year-old diva had been cast in the lead role of “Die Fledermaus” in December; instead, her final opera appearance will be in Sydney on Oct. 2 in “Les Huguenots,” Royal Opera House spokeswoman Katherine Wilkinson said today. The Covent Garden performance was to be the last of her career.