# Juicy Diva Stories



## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

If anyone knows any, be my guest...:lol:

...It will be hard to top Mademoiselle de Maupin though.

She was a singer in the 17th century, famous for (among other things) her roles in the operas of Lully. She debuted as a Lully singer at the age of 22, but before that she had already been married, run of with a fencing teacher and fell in love with a young girl. When the parents of the girl found out about it they let her enter a convent. De Maupin then entered the convent herself as a novice, decided to run away with the young girl, stole the body of a dead nun, placed it in the bed of her lover and set the place on fire to cover their escape. She was sentenced to be burned alive - but couldn't be found. 

The more famous she became as a singer, the more outrageous her behavior became. One time after she had an argument with another singer she waited for him outside and beat him up. Another time she went to a party given by the brother of Louis XIV dressed as a man, insulted a countess, was challenged to a duel by three different men, accepted all three challenges, walked outside with them, won all three duels and went back inside to continue partying.


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## World Violist (May 31, 2007)

I don't know if this is "juicy" but hey, they're good enough for me.

Birgit Nilsson, courtesy Wikipedia...

Nilsson did not get along with the famous conductor Herbert von Karajan . Once when rehearsing on stage at the Vienna Staatsoper, her string of pearls broke. While helping her retrieve them, Karajan asked, "Are these real pearls bought with your fabulous Metropolitan Opera fees?" Nilsson replied, "No, these are very ordinary fake pearls bought with your lousy Vienna Staatsoper fees." When Nilsson first arrived at the Met to rehearse the production of Die Walkure conducted by Karajan, she said, "Nu, where's Herbie?" And Karajan once sent Nilsson a cable several pages long, proposing in great detail a variety of projects, different dates and operas. Nilsson cabled back: "Busy. Birgit."
There was a healthy competition between Nilsson and tenor Franco Corelli as to who could hold the high C the longest in Act II of Turandot. In one tour performance, after Nilsson outlasted Corelli on the high C, Corelli stormed off to Bing during the next intermission and said that he was not going to continue the performance. Bing, who knew how to handle Corelli's tantrums, suggested that he retaliate by biting Nilsson on the neck when Calaf kisses Turandot in Act III. Corelli didn't bite Nilsson but he was so delighted with the idea that he told her about Bing's suggestion. She then cabled Bing, informing him that she had to cancel the next two tour Turandot performances because she had contracted rabies.

Nilsson was known for standing up to conductors. In a 1967 rehearsal of Die Walküre with Herbert von Karajan conducting, Nilsson responded to the gloomy lighting of the production by wearing a miner's helmet (complete with Valkyrian wings). When on some occasion Herbert von Karajan urged a retake 'and this time with our hearts - that's where your wallet has its place', Birgit Nilsson replied 'I'm glad to know that we have at least one thing in common, Maëstro von Karajan'! When Georg Solti, in "Tristan und Isolde", insisted on tempos too slow for Nilsson's taste, she made the first performance even slower, inducing a conductorial change of heart.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> If anyone knows any, be my guest...:lol:
> 
> ...It will be hard to top Mademoiselle de Maupin though.
> 
> ...


wow. by winning the three duels, do you mean that she killed all three men?


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

World Violist said:


> I don't know if this is "juicy" but hey, they're good enough for me.
> 
> Birgit Nilsson, courtesy Wikipedia...
> 
> ...


No wonder that she was such a great Elektra! Poor Herbie. :lol:


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Almaviva said:


> wow. by winning the three duels, do you mean that she killed all three men?


No, she wounded them. She was a master at fencing.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> No, she wounded them. She was a master at fencing.


Oh, OK, that's better...
Looks like she had antisocial personality disorder.
Any pictures of her?


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Almaviva said:


> Oh, OK, that's better...
> Looks like she had antisocial personality disorder.
> Any pictures of her?


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


>


Oh, disappointing. With her past, I though she was strikingly beautiful. Anyway, maybe men at the time found this kind of look beautiful.


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## jhar26 (Jul 6, 2008)

Almaviva said:


> Oh, disappointing. With her past, I though she was strikingly beautiful.


Maybe she was. You can't really tell from that picture. And there were no photos in those days, only drawings and paintings, and how much can you trust those anyway? Just think of how different for example Mozart looks on each of the paintings and drawings there are of him.


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## Almaviva (Aug 13, 2010)

jhar26 said:


> Maybe she was. You can't really tell from that picture. And there were no photos in those days, only drawings and paintings, and how much can you trust those anyway? Just think of how different for example Mozart looks on each of the paintings and drawings there are of him.


You're probably right. I think she wouldn't be able to get away with everything that she did without being very attractive.


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

*Francesca Cuzzoni* (1696 - 1778), was one of greatest sopranos on the planet during her best. Cuzzoni commanded £2,000 a season, which was a huge fee three centuries ago.

*Faustina Bordoni* (1697 - 1781), likewise as a mezzo.

Can you imagine the effect of having two temperamental divas on the same stage? Both sang in Handel's operas. But there was one that made it to scandal status.

G. Bononcini's _Astianatte _ on 6 June 1727 resulted in a catfight between these two on stage right before supporting parties of either camps, and before the Princess of Wales. The papers reported:-

..._"TWO of a Trade seldom or ever agree … But who would have thought the Infection should reach the Hay-market and inspire Two Singing Ladies to pull each other's Coiffs, to the no small Disquiet of the Directors, who (God help them) have enough to do to keep Peace and Quietness between them. … I shall not determine who is the Aggressor, but take the surer Side, and wisely pronounce them both in Fault; for it is certainly an apparent Shame that two such well bred Ladies should call Bitch and *****, should scold and fight like any Billingsgates_ ... "


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## sospiro (Apr 3, 2010)

Adelina Patti

When I did the recent tour in ROH, the guide explained that both cast & audience would arrive by horse & carriage. Our guide then stopped by a portrait of Patti & told the story of how instead of arriving in a carriage pulled by horses, sometimes her carriage would be pulled by young men stripped to the wiast.

Can't find any reference to this but it made me smile.


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