# What happened to Angela Gheorghiu exactly?



## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

She is one of my favorite singers. I remembered when I first started listening to opera in high school (it was the mid-2000s), EMI was trying hard to market her as _the _diva of this generation. Even now, I think that part of the marketing strategies and the public opinions were justified, as her studio recordings of La Rondine, Manon, Werther, Tosca, Romeo et Juliette, Trovatore, Carmen, Butterfly, the famous Traviata that launched her career, and several recitals with Alagna did stand out. Vocal-wise, she has a lovely, distinguished smoky timbre with great chiaroscuro and melting pianissimi. She is also a nice actress (can be histrionic sometimes), and an expressive and intelligent singer.

As good as it sounds so far, the woman almost disappeared from the recording scene in the past ten years. She didn't record any thing interesting with the big labels anymore. I recalled a rumor that she was first chosen as the Aida in the Pappano/Kaufmann, not Harteros. Even worse, she limits herself to just a few roles at the moment. The press almost ignored her. Did something happen behind the scene?

Here are some of my favorite performances.

This _"Les Chemins de l'amour"_ is the most nostalgic and witty I've heard:





This _"Depuis le jour"_ is ethereal:


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## BalalaikaBoy (Sep 25, 2014)

> What happened to Angela Gheorghiu exactly?


imo, she was a lyric soprano who decided she could get away with singing mezzo and dramatic soprano rep.....and it caught up with her.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

No really, but the press being unkind works two ways, she is well know for not so be kind towards them either. As far as recording, cherish what you like, here recording day's are gone. I do like the Decca recording by the way.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Here are her latest scheduled performances:
Angela Gheorghiu: Schedule 
From Opera 
27 May-20 Jun 2019 Tosca it Floria Tosca Royal Opera, London (C:Joel, D:Kent) 
ROH 
9-13 Jul 2018 Tosca it Floria Tosca Münchner Opernfestspiele (C:Armiliato, D:Bondy) 
Nationaltheater, München 
Mar-Apr 2018 Tosca it Floria Tosca Staatsoper Hamburg (C:Morandi, D:Carsen) 
Jan-Mar 2018 Tosca it Floria Tosca Royal Opera, London (C:Ettinger / Domingo, D:Kent) 
Dec 2017-Jan 2018 La bohème it Mimì Staatsoper Unter den Linden, Berlin (C:Salemkour, D:Hume) 
Oct 2017-Jan 2018 Tosca Floria Tosca Wiener Staatsoper (C:López-Cobos, D:Wallmann) 

Being that she is one of my top 5 favorite sopranos I find it hard to believe that she is gone forever without any notice to the opera world. Something is very strange about this whole thing.
I don't give a hoot if she was an obnoxious and nasty diva to others (certainly Madame Callas had her problems in this area as well and who cared??)
Her voice, besides being beautiful, has a plaintive sound in her throat that makes her sound vulnerable (in a good way). It is a recognizable voice which is always a plus for a fine singer.
She does tend to make a lot of demands and perhaps it has come back to bite her.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

BalalaikaBoy said:


> imo, she was a lyric soprano who decided she could get away with singing mezzo and dramatic soprano rep.....and it caught up with her.


She never took on Carmen, Norma, Lucia, Aida or anything in that rank on stage, unlike many delusional "divas" of the day. And I don't think she damaged her voice either.

The problem of her is not that she over-estimated her capability; she underestimated herself instead, or was just over-cautious. Why just keeping Mimi, Tosca, and a few pretty lame verismo roles? I have never seen any singers so gifted like her in the past limited themselves so much.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

nina foresti said:


> Here are her latest scheduled performances:
> Angela Gheorghiu: Schedule
> From Opera
> 27 May-20 Jun 2019 Tosca it Floria Tosca Royal Opera, London (C:Joel, D:Kent)
> ...


Seems like this is the case. Here is a recent interview. One doesn't need to read between the lines to figure what is going on. It is kinda sad 

https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/angela-gheorghiu-interview-i-need-applause-like-people-need-water/

"Why did Tony Pappano drop me? Ask him. Do you know who else dropped me? The tenor Jonas Kaufmann. I discovered him - on a DVD I came across in Switzerland - and decided he would be my new tenor after Roberto (Alagna) and I split up. I asked for Jonas, and Tony, to star with me, and record with me, as much as I could. And then they both just dropped me altogether."


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## Weird Heather (Aug 24, 2016)

I was also wondering what had become of her. I have always enjoyed the recordings that she made years ago, and I was surprised that the rate of new releases slowed to a crawl. It seems like she gradually faded from view without much fanfare. The BBC article explains a lot. I suppose talent isn't everything; nobody enjoys dealing with a difficult person, and there are plenty of other singers eager for work.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

Weird Heather said:


> I was also wondering what had become of her. I have always enjoyed the recordings that she made years ago, and I was surprised that the rate of new releases slowed to a crawl. It seems like she gradually faded from view without much fanfare. T*he BBC article explains a lot. I suppose talent isn't everything; nobody enjoys dealing with a difficult person, and there are plenty of other singers eager for work.*


Yes .

It may be partly due to her difficulty personality, partly due to her refusal to try new things.

Here is one track from her most recent album. The singing is still fantastic and expressive as usual:






The problem? Again, she just recycled a few verismo arias. Nothing new at all!


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## davidglasgow (Aug 19, 2017)

silentio said:


> Yes .
> 
> It may be *partly due to her difficulty personality*, *partly due to her refusal to try new things*.
> 
> ...


Gheorghiu's ideas for repertoire which would perhaps better suit her current resources don't seem too far fetched



> There are all the heavy roles I was too young for, before, but now I'm ready for them! Manon Lescaut, Don Carlo, Fedora… But I don't want to ask for it. I want to be sought out, deserved. I'm a woman. And I'm an artist.


Link at: https://inews.co.uk/culture/music/angela-gheorghiu-interview-i-need-applause-like-people-need-water/

She also mentions Desdemona in the article which I would love to hear.

I'm split when it comes to her personality: it's not stopped her from singing at the Wiener Staatsoper, ROH London, Hamburg, Munich etc etc in recent times and she must be a bit of a trooper to have lasted 25 years?

It's worth recalling the challenges of deciding repertoire in mid-late career. While Gheorghiu is perhaps being a bit conservative in the variety of roles she sings, it's worth noting her peers are acting a bit odd 

Anna Netrebko's roles are majorly bulking up so that Manon Lescaut, Lady Macbeth, Elsa are followed by Aida, Leonora in Forza, finally Turandot(!!) planned for the future. It is worth recalling that she was singing Adina as recently as 2014. Something's got to give?

Looking on Operabase, Roberto Alagna still sings repertoire you might associate with him like Don Jose and Alfredo Germont... before you see the repeated Samsons plus Manrico, Andrea Chenier, Lohengrin(!), Otello(!!). I know he would not be Rinuccio or Nemorino forever but that is wild...

It's also worth remembering that some of Gheorghiu's peers have bowed out already - like Natalie Dessay - and Renee Fleming has started retiring key parts like the Marschallin. Meanwhile Cecilia Bartoli is singing a more limited repertoire in a few choice theatres. I wonder if this is not a preferable, albeit more subdued, approach

It must be hard to decide how to wind down a career in the public eye and Gheorghiu, like us, is witnessing wildly differing approaches among her contemporaries


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

She should never have been married to Alagna also,it may have worked in private but not on stage all the time together. 
( perhaps no divorce then either)


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

nina foresti said:


> Here are her latest scheduled performances:
> Angela Gheorghiu: Schedule
> From Opera
> 27 May-20 Jun 2019 Tosca it Floria Tosca Royal Opera, London (C:Joel, D:Kent)
> ...


according to her facebook page she is here in Socal May 1st at santa monica
and this on her face book page
May
1

Concert in Santa Monica, CA
Tue 7:30 PM · The Broad Stage · Santa Monica, California
May
25
Gala concert in Berlin
Fri 8 PM UTC+02 · Deutsche Oper Berlin · Berlin, Germany

Jun
17

Recital in Paris
Sun 8 PM UTC+02 · Palais Garnier · Paris, France


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

web page-->http://www.angelagheorghiu.com/landing_page/
and this
http://www.angelagheorghiu.com/


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

ldiat said:


> according to her facebook page she is here in Socal May 1st at santa monica
> and this on her face book page
> May
> 1
> ...


That is if she's not sick or postponed in any other form.


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## Weird Heather (Aug 24, 2016)

Pugg said:


> That is if she's not sick or postponed in any other form.


That's what I was thinking too. I know she has a bit of a reputation for that. I was briefly tempted by the Santa Monica concert, but it is on a weekday (and Santa Monica is a bit too far for me to go there after work), and the traffic around Santa Monica is horrendous - the last time I tried to go there, I gave up and turned around and went somewhere else instead. I would be very annoyed if I fought my way through the traffic into Santa Monica and she didn't show up.


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## silentio (Nov 10, 2014)

This is one of the most recent appearances (Wiener Staatsoper, on March):






I think she aged well vocally (and physically  ). I am totally fine with her focusing more on art songs.


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Pugg said:


> That is if she's not sick or postponed in any other form.


true but i will follow on KUSC radio thats tue. wish i could go 45 mins from my house


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## ldiat (Jan 27, 2016)

Weird Heather said:


> That's what I was thinking too. I know she has a bit of a reputation for that. I was briefly tempted by the Santa Monica concert, but it is on a weekday (and Santa Monica is a bit too far for me to go there after work), and the traffic around Santa Monica is horrendous - the last time I tried to go there, I gave up and turned around and went somewhere else instead. I would be very annoyed if I fought my way through the traffic into Santa Monica and she didn't show up.


we went to the "Carmen" opera on the pier last year and was able to park just down below. i know its hard to park around there. 
ps you are a couple hrs south of me.. going to del mar in aug!


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Here are her latest scheduled performances:
> Angela Gheorghiu: Schedule
> From Opera
> 27 May-20 Jun 2019 Tosca it Floria Tosca Royal Opera, London (C:Joel, D:Kent)
> ...


I just saw Carmen with her in it and was largely unacquainted with her. She has a really luscious, gorgeous voice with what sounds like tons of resonance. I was impressed. Nina, I think you gave a good description of her. I tend to live in the past. The video was from 23 years ago.


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## Aerobat (Dec 31, 2018)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I just saw Carmen with her in it and was largely unacquainted with her. She has a really luscious, gorgeous voice with what sounds like tons of resonance. I was impressed. Nina, I think you gave a good description of her. I tend to live in the past. The video was from 23 years ago.


I would class her as quite possibly the finest voiced soprano of the last 30 years. I've been lucky enough to see her live (and yes, she did turn up), as well as owning several of her recordings. I don't think there has been anyone in recent years to come close to her standard of both singing and performing.

Yes, she's temperamental. Yes, some folks will find her difficult to work with. But I'd suggest that she was worth the effort for the quality of her performances.

Now of course she's in her mid 50s, and probably decided to slip away gracefully before her voice starts to deteriorate too much.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

Angela Gheorghiu's concert with the Met Musicians yesterday:

All I can say is WOW! 2 solid hours of conversation and the privilege of hearing the still gorgeous voice of Angela Gheorghiu for a measly $15.
She sang a Lord's Prayer first and then went right into Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" which she did beautifully. She still has that special plaintive sound to her voice that I find so attractive.
She looked stunning in a flowing white gown which set off her dark eyes. Her long black hair formed around her shoulders, and though she is now a bit older since we've last seen her she wears her age well.
The conversation took place with the French Horn interviewer and her cohorts participating (violinists, viola, cello, bass,) and was a delight to listen to. 
I give her credit for attempting to speak so enthusiastically for so very long. She seemed to sincerely be enjoying herself as she touted the musicians, chorus and backstage staff numerous times in gratitude for what they have always done to support her.
I know she can be an ego-tripper but I give her every credit in the world for volunteering to do this *gratis*. She spoke English quite well as she sometimes attempted to find the right words.
She gave us more for her 2 hours spent with us when you consider that Netrebko never even once said a word or attempted to connect with her audience at her concert.(and she got paid!!)
This concert will still be visible ($15 measly bucks!) for another week or so if anyone is interested. 
Brava Angela!


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

I've seen her three times at the Royal Opera House. The first time she made a big impression in a secondary role, that of Nina in Massenet's *Chérubin*, completely outshining the soprano playing L'Ensolleilad (I think it was Maria Bayo).

The second was on the occasion of her debut as Violetta, the series of performances that cataputed her to stardom. I was not that impressed with the production, the conducting (Solti) or her male colleagues (Lopardo and Nucci) but she was wonderful. I do though sometimes wonder if stardom came too quickly and whether that contributed to her reputation for being difficult. The next time I saw her was a few years later, in the role of Adina. She was still very good and the voice was still in excellent shape, but a touch of mannerism had crept into her performance and she was a bit too knowing for Adina.

I don't really know why I never saw her again after that. Between them I think she and Fleming had the most beautiful soprano voices of the last thirty years and there is no doubt she was a considerable artist. I don't know for sure, but I would imagine that she has started to curtail her performances; as noted she is in her mid 50s now. Fleming has retired from opera and I suppose it likely that she will too very soon.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> Angela Gheorghiu's concert with the Met Musicians yesterday:
> 
> All I can say is WOW! 2 solid hours of conversation and the privilege of hearing the still gorgeous voice of Angela Gheorghiu for a measly $15.
> She sang a Lord's Prayer first and then went right into Dvorak's "Song to the Moon" which she did beautifully. She still has that special plaintive sound to her voice that I find so attractive.
> ...


Nina, did she sing opera or lieder? I can see how people say she and Fleming were the great talents of this generation. She really impressed me.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

She sang "A Lord's Prayer" first and then went right into Dvorak's "Song to the Moon." (I did mention this above.)
After that there was over an hour of interviews with her.


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

nina foresti said:


> She sang "A Lord's Prayer" first and then went right into Dvorak's "Song to the Moon." (I did mention this above.)
> After that there was over an hour of interviews with her.


You did say that. I knew you said it was an interview, but I didn't realize it was mostly interview. Sorry.


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## nina foresti (Mar 11, 2014)

It's still available for seeing.


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