Pavlo Hunka.

It wasn't the curse of Aldrich that felled baritone Pavlo Hunka's Wotan, but a family history of diabetes.

After more than a week of speculation and replacement casting, Hunka yesterday officially withdrew from the Canadian Opera Company's ongoing production of Richard Wagner's The Ring Of The Nibelung.

He was to have sung the role of Wotan/The Wanderer, but had to drop out, citing a recent diagnosis as a diabetic. The $11-million production of the four opera cycle is the inaugural work in the new Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts.

Hunka's vocal problems first surfaced during dress rehearsals for The Ring last week, when he left the stage mid-way through a performance of Die Walkure. His health was still in question early this week, so Canadian baritone John Fanning stepped in to sing the role on opening night of Das Rheingold on Tuesday, while Peteris Eglitis sang it in Wednesday's performance of Die Walkure and is slated to sing it as well in this afternoon's performance of Siegfried.

Yesterday morning, the COC made it official, saying that Hunka would not return to the production, slated to run through early October.

That announcement came mere hours before Hunka launched a new CD of Ukrainian music, titled Kyrylo Stetsenko -- The Art Songs at an afternoon event in the Henry N.R. Jackman Lounge in the Four Seasons Centre.

The man who had sparked speculation that his would be a definitive Wotan was philosophical about his situation, pointing out that it is the first time in 20 years that he has missed a performance.

He had, he recalled, noticed "a slight inconsistency creeping in" during rehearsals, adding, "I didn't want my first Wotan to be a disappointment."

The COC's Richard Bradshaw attended yesterday's CD launch and was equally sanguine. According to Bradshaw, even in Bayreuth, which hosts an annual Wagner Festival, there is almost always a crisis.

"We've got to keep things in perspective," a beaming Bradshaw said, before taking the podium to assure assembled guests that Hunka "will be back, and he'll remain an incredibly important part of the Canadian Opera Company."

For now, Hunka plans to return to Britain today where his focus will be to "stabilize the diabetes," he said. "By the end of the year, I'll be back, and up and kicking."

While that will be too late for him to participate as planned in the forthcoming COC production of Cosi fan tutte, slated to open Oct. 17, he should be in fine shape for his next stab at Wotan, in a British production of Das Rheingold sometime next year.

Bradshaw confirmed yesterday that Fanning will once again essay the role of Wotan in Tuesday night's reprise of Das Rheingold, but casting beyond that will be announced later.