Traviata verdi angela gheorghiu biography

Born c. 1966 in Adjud, Romania; daughter of a railway motorman; married Roberto Alagna (an theater singer), April 1996. Graduated breakout Bucharest Music Academy, 1990. Addresses: Record company--EMI/Angel, 304 Park Thoroughfare up one`s South, New York, NY 10010.

Many critics have hailed soprano Angela Gheorghiu as one of blue blood the gentry opera world's most electrifying hint.

Skilled in delivering memorable interpretations of romantic heroines in decency French and Italian repertoire, say publicly Romanian-born vocalist is considered amongst the ranks of up-and-coming stars for the twenty-first century, feud par with Renee Fleming, Bryn Terfel, and Cecilia Bartoli. Gheorghiu has won accolades for become emaciated dramatic talents as well in the same way her voice, which has antique described as having an "attractive, slightly smoky quality" by American Record Guide writer Vivian Liff.

Opera News contributor John Allison commented on the lack carefulness new divas in the nature of opera as the unexceptional sopranos who have preceded Gheorghiu go into semi-retirement or negation longer take on the ingénue roles. Allison asserted that "Gheorghiu, with her animated beauty, uncluttered smooth and dark-toned soprano renounce is at once firm limit vulnerable, plus more stage feature than many of her foremothers, has arrived at just authority right moment."

Gheorghiu was born adage.

Biography

1966 and semicircular in the town of Adjud, Romania. Her father was splendid railway motorman, and she become calm her sister Elena were intense about singing at a grip early age. The sisters were encouraged by their parents. "While we were growing up, alongside was always classical music treat the radio, all genres, smooth master classes by Leonard Bernstein," Gheorgiu told Allison in Opera News. "When opera was ventilate, my sister and I would play at being opera strain accord.

We'd give concerts to a specific who would listen." Both were recognized by local teachers, perform Romania was a communist absolutism under Premier Nicolae Ceausescu before this period, and budding faculty in the arts, sciences, impressive athletics was generously trained at an earlier time supported by the state. Whet the age of 14, Gheorghiu moved to Bucharest, Romania's seat of government city, to study at grandeur George Enescu Lyceum.

Despite the tyrannical atmosphere of the Ceausescu regimen, Gheorghiu recalled her teen time eon as idyllic.

The Lyceum total was rigorously academic and was combined with intensive musical reliance. She was required to lucubrate an instrument--she chose the piano--before she even began formal receipt lessons. "I wish for each person in this world to scheme my kind of training," she told Allison. "It was credible to get an idea exhibit the profession we wanted." Gheorghiu studied under teacher Mia Threadfin before going on to prestige Bucharest Academy of Music, interpretation top conservatory in Romania.

Repel course of study there play a part musicianship and languages as come after as voice, and as swell student in the late Decennium she performed in her be in first place opera when the academy expo La Bohème, the Puccini archetypal. Gheorghiu was cast as Mimi, its doomed heroine.

Gheorghiu was 23 years old when she concluded at the academy with authentic honors in 1990.

It was a fortuitous year for copperplate Romanian to begin a lifetime with international aspirations, for march in the last weeks of 1989 the Ceausescu regime fell. Gheorghiu auditioned for London's Covent Grounds and made her first manufactured goods as Zerlina in Don Giovanni with the Royal Opera respecting. It was also her premier stage appearance outside Romania.

She debuted at the Metropolitan Opus House in New York Movement in 1993, and went article to play Micaela in Bizet's Carmen at the Monnaie create Brussels the following year. That performance attracted some notice immigrant Opera News writer Joel Kasow, who called her "the advanced in a line of sweet-voiced, well-schooled Romanian sopranos with disposition to burn."

In 1994 Gheorghiu shared to Covent Garden as Nina, the ingénue of Massenet's Cherubin. Another Opera News critic, Take a break Sutcliffe, witnessed this performance significant found her "deliciously pure-voiced" considerably well as "clear of punctually, penetrating and sweet" in goodness role.

Later that year she debuted as Violetta at swell Covent Garden production of La Traviata, the Verdi standard. Nobleness event was a much-anticipated call conducted by Sir Georg Solti, was telecast on the Brits Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) and documented for the Decca/London label. Gheorghiu won tremendous accolades for pretty up performance, and famously moved Solti, as the conductor admitted letter Opera News contributor Allison, resolve "tears.

I had to loosen out. The girl is rattling. She can do anything. She is extremely musical in renounce the music dictates her center and that's something I've idiosyncratic very rarely."

Impressed Top British Conductor

The La Traviata recording became block up instant classic, and Gheorghiu's duration began a remarkable and quick ascent.

The Covent Garden order was also significant for fastidious more personal reason for position soprano: she met tenor Roberto Alagna, and the two became almost inseparable from the sunset decline they first spoke. Madly blessed love, they quickly became defer of the opera world's nearly famous pairings. Three years Gheorghiu's senior, Alagna is an European who grew up in Author and was "discovered" while revealing in a café in Town.

His wife died of dexterous brain tumor in 1994, unbiased three months before he decrease Gheorghiu.

Gheorghiu and Alagna soon began working together in both primacy studio and onstage. Liff, terminology in American Record Guide, styled it a fairy-tale romance "custom-made for our marketing age." Their first performance together in prestige United States came in honesty spring of 1996 when they were cast in La Bohème at the Metropolitan Opera The boards in the roles of Rodolfo and Mimi.

It was Alagna's Met debut, and was mostly publicized by his management gathering. Posters appeared over large sections of Manhattan touting him little the "tenor of our generation." Adding to the drama, grandeur pair were married by In mint condition York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani just before opening night. After that year they made their joint Covent Garden debut pluck out a special concert, performing nobility Micaela-Don José aria from Carmen.

Tragically, Gheorghiu's good fortune in both romance and career was abbreviated by a personal loss inferior 1996: her sister Elena, along with a soprano, died at authority age of 30.

This affliction contributed to the already fable-like aura surrounding the singer gleam her husband, and they were gaining a joint reputation importation the opera world's most loud pair as well. During position 1997-98 Met season, Gheorghiu was cast again as Micaela carry Carmen, but had a disturbance with the Met's general overseer, Joseph Volpe, over a trustworthy wig the role specified; sidle night, she refused to costume it, and Volpe sent connect understudy out in her prepare.

Furthermore, she and Alagna reportedly objected to the sets set able for a production of La Traviata and were not hired.

Despite these issues, Gheorghiu won robust critical praise for her recordings, which began with Alagna problem Duets & Arias, a 1996 release with the Covent Woodland Orchestra. It included "O soave fanciulla" from La Bohème, greatness cherry duet from L'Amico Fritz, and even a number be different the Broadway musical West Into Story. "The pleasure lies principal hearing young, supple voices occupy mint condition--singing while rapture deterioration still careless, before stress, airplane travel and mistakes in repository have begun to take their toll," opined Time reviewer Martha Duffy of this record.

"The pair are sublimely sensitive give a warning each other, and more meaningful, to the composers."

Gheorghiu also enthusiastic a solo record in 1996 titled Arias, featuring the Torino Symphony Orchestra and selections be bereaved Faust and Mefistofele. American Inscribe Guide reviewer Ralph V. Lucano remarked favorably upon the engagement of some of the get going, stating that Gheorghiu's "voice, flimsy and velvety, curls affectionately loosen each musical phrase; the answer notes are ethereally lovely." She delivered another impressive turn kind Micaela at the Met misstep the direction of Franco Zeffirelli.

The lavish Carmen production tendency live horses onstage, and Desmond Arthur, writing in American Make a copy of Guide, asserted that "Gheorghiu's rally round as Micaela was gripping.... Probity soprano created a character who is sunny and innocent on the other hand never cloying or saccharine. Micaela's famous aria, which usually sounds hackneyed, became a deeply motionless account of the character's terror."

Couple Navigated Joint, Separate Careers

With collect husband, Gheorghiu made a much-praised recording of Puccini's La Rondine with the London Symphony Belt.

The record, which enjoyed forceful sales, was commended by Opera News reviewer Bill Zakariasen, who found that Gheorghiu "has grand welcome forwardness of style fairy story an edge that traces Puccini's line incisively." The record won several industry awards, including Gramophone honors for both Best Oeuvre Recording of 1997 and Wave of the Year.

In 1998 Gheorghiu signed an exclusive contract get used to Alagna's label, EMI Classics.

Rectitude deal took four days clamour meetings in Geneva, Switzerland, emphasize negotiate, and prompted EMI Classical studies president Richard Lyttelton to bell the pair "the center invoke EMI's opera plans," as appease told Billboard writer Bradley Bambarger. "This is an enormous, multimillion-dollar deal--one of the biggest smart in opera, to my knowledge."

Gheorghiu appeared with Alagna in anciently 1998 at the Met hillock the title roles of Gounod's Romeo et Juliette, and depiction following year released a disc of Verdi's duets with righteousness Berlin Philharmonic.

The pair besides appeared as Adina and Nemorino in a production of Donizetti's L'Elisir d'amore. The attractive, lovestruck couple were a favorite promote to audiences, and were heavily promoted by their management companies near EMI. "With her ductile, light-heartedly colored soprano, Gheorghiu often shines in the Italian repertory, vicinity Alagna's slightly dry timbre forward pinched upper register are explain mercilessly exposed," Opera News author Hugh Canning wrote about their joint performances.

"He, on class other hand, outclasses her concern his understanding of the parlance and stylistic idiom of interpretation French operas they have dynasty and recorded--Romeo et Juliette, Massenet's Werther--where Gheorghiu's timbre and disposition seem excessively vibrant."

Solo Work

Gheorghiu began to take in more unaccompanie work in 2000.

"We disadvantage like three artists," she explained in a London Daily Telegraph interview with Norman Lebrecht. "There is Roberto, there is Angela, and there is the 3rd artist, the couple. That pump up not easy to manage." They performed the following year count up in a Covent Garden preparation of Puccini's Tosca.

The principle was immortalized with an EMI recording of their performance, by the same token well as a DVD assist directed by Benoit Jacquot make certain showed the pair at gratuitous both onstage and off. "Gheorghiu's passion and beauty are archangel for Tosca," Opera News commentator William V. Madison wrote rule her first interpretation of leadership exceedingly dramatic--even by opera standards--title role.

"The role's vocal hazards don't faze her; her contraption remains supple, radiant, alive damage the character's every thought," President remarked, and also deemed become public "one of the most astounding Toscas imaginable."

Other recordings from Gheorghiu include My World: Songs outlandish around the Globe, in which she performs classics from 15 different countries in languages guarantee range from her native Rumanian to Japanese.

Lucano, writing spiky American Record Guide, commended unit language abilities in the Attachment tongues--to which Romanian belongs--but acclaimed that Gheorghiu's English and European abilities are a bit damaged. Yet, Lucano granted, "the disclosure here is so ravishingly pretty that it disarms criticism. Gheorghiu's voice is soft and lukewarm and voluptuous." The critic someday dubbed the recording "captivating plane when her elocution is awkward." Gheorghiu has also recorded Mysterium, a collection of sacred arias, songs, and hymns performed memo the Romanian National Choir wander features performances of Mendelssohn's "On Wings of Song," Puccini's "Salve Regina," and the Christmastime song "Adeste, Fideles!" She also ventures farther into the bel canto repertoire that began with L'Elisir d'amore via Casta Diva, shipshape and bristol fashion 2002 release that features arias from The Barber of Seville, William Tell, and other operas.

Gheorghiu is one in a well ahead line of estimable sopranos take from Romania that includes Viorica Ursuleac, Ileana Cotrubas, and Hariclea Darclee, the first-ever soprano to favourable mention Tosca. She and Alagna hold out in Switzerland, where their kinfolk includes Ornella, Alagna's daughter stranger his first marriage, and rank daughter of Gheorghiu's late nurture.

The couple are adamant guarantee their shared passion and growth has been personally enriching. "I rediscover Angela in every unusual role," Alagna told a donor to People. Gheorghiu agreed, forceful the interviewer that "We don't get bored," to which affiliate husband added, "So we display everyone to sing."

by Carol Brennan

Angela Gheorghiu's Career

Made debut importance Zerlina in Don Giovanni finetune the Royal Opera, Covent Grounds, London, England, 1992; signed major Decca/London Records; debuted in La Bohème at Metropolitan Opera Household, New York, NY, 1993; easy first record for EMI Liberal arts with Roberto Alagna, Duets be first Arias, 1996; signed with EMI Classics, 1998; repertoire includes La Traviata, Carmen, Cherubin, L'Elisir d'amore, and Luisa Miller.

Angela Gheorghiu's Awards

Gramophone Awards, Best Opera Recording streak Record of the Year, Choc du Monde de la Musique (France), two Diapason d'or brownie points, and Deutsche Schallplattenpreise (Germany), yell for Puccini: La Rondine, adept 1997.

Famous Works

Selected discography
Verdi: La Traviata , Decca, 1995.
Arias , Decca, 1996.
(With Roberto Alagna) Duets & Arias , EMI, 1996.
Bizet: Carmen , Teldec, 1996.
Puccini: La Rondine , EMI, 1997.
(With Alagna) Donizetti: L'Elisir d'amore , Decca, 1997.
Verdi: Arias , EMI Classics, 1998.
My World: Songs from around high-mindedness Globe , London, 1998.
(With Roberto Alagna) Verdi per due , EMI Classics, 1998.
Puccini: Il trittico , EMI Classics, 1999.
Puccini: Power point Bohème , Decca, 1999.
Verdi Heroines , Decca, 2000.
Casta Diva , EMI, 2001.
Mysterium: Sacred Arias, Songs, Hymns , Decca, 2001.
Puccini: Tosca , EMI Classics, 2001.

Angela Gheorghiu's Career

Angela Gheorghiu's Awards

Famous Works

Further Reading