Angela Gheorghiu blasts out Buenos Aires

Angela Gheorghiu blasts out Buenos Aires

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norman lebrecht

March 08, 2017

The Romanian soprano was due to open the season at the Teatro Colon in Cilea’s opera, Adriana Lecouvreur. But, ‘deeply upset and disappointed at the lack of professionalism and discourtesy’ she encountered in Argentina, she has blown out of the production and is heading home.

Here’s her account of things:

 

 

I am deeply upset and disappointed about the lack of professionalism and discourtesy I have encountered in the last days in Buenos Aires, while I was very much looking forward to perform Adriana Lecouvreur at Teatro Colón.
Due to pre-contractual breaches and the failure of Teatro Colon to fulfil my contractual terms, which are unquestionably respected wherever I sing, in opera houses and concert halls all over the world, I find myself in the impossibility to perform for the Argentinian audiences, which I love and highly adore.
I travelled to Buenos Aires, an extremely long journey, with this uncertainty, hoping that everything will get sorted out as soon as I am in Argentina.. It has been already a week since I am here and nothing has improved. I could not even attend any rehearsal without any valid contract signed, of course. I only experienced more disappointment, unprofessional behaviour and disrespect. I even tried to have a conversation with the General Director of the Teatro Colon, Maria Victoria Alcaraz, but, surprisingly, I was refused one. It is a very embarrassing and unpleasant situation for me.

I interdict the Teatro Colon to sell tickets under my name and to use my name or my image in any of their promotional materials, it is illegitimate and unfair for the people who pay and who are not responsible for this unfortunate circumstances.

I was extremely eager to re-encounter with the wonderful, warm public in Buenos Aires, which I cherish a lot, and I can only hope that I will return some other time, under honourable conditions and under the righteous respect and admiration.
Angela Gheorghiu

Estoy profundamente disgustada y decepcionada por la falta de profesionalidad y de la descortesía que he encontrado en los últimos días en Buenos Aires, mientras que estaba muy expectante para llevar a Adriana Lecouvreur en el Teatro Colon.
Debido a las violaciones pre-contractuales y al fracaso del Teatro Colon para cumplir mis condiciones contractuales, que son sin duda respetadas dondequiera que yo cante, en las casas de ópera y en las salas de conciertos por todo el mundo, me encuentro en la imposibilidad de cantar para el público argentino, Lo cual me encanta y adoro.
Viajé a Buenos Aires, un viaje extremadamente largo, con esta incertidumbre, esperando que todo se clasificados tan pronto como estuviera en Argentina.. ha sido ya una semana desde que estoy aquí y nada ha mejorado. Ni siquiera podía asistir a ningún ensayo sin ningún contrato válido firmado, por supuesto. Sólo he experimentado una gran decepción, comportamiento poco profesional y falta de respeto. Incluso traté de tener una conversación con el director general del Teatro Colon, María Victoria Alcaraz, pero, sorprendentemente, me ha sido negado a uno. Es una situación muy embarazosa y desagradable para mí.
Impedir el Teatro Colon para vender entradas bajo mi nombre y usar mi nombre o mi imagen en cualquiera de sus materiales promocionales, es ilegítimo e injusto para las personas que pagan y que no son responsables de esta desafortunada situación.
Estaba muy ansioso por reencuentro con el maravilloso y cálido público de Buenos Aires, que aprecio mucho, y sólo puedo esperar que regrese algún otro tiempo, bajo condiciones, honorables, y bajo el respeto y la admiración de los justos.
Angela Gheorghiu

Comments

  • pianoronald says:

    Audiatur et altera pars – as we used to say in Rome.

  • Muzio says:

    Virginia Tola and Sabrina Cirera are listed on the Colon website as singing Adriana, so at least they are not using her name in advertising.

    Would native Tola perhaps be just as big a draw for the Colon audiences?

  • anon says:

    Ask Leonard Slatkin whether she is easy to work with. Based on her earlier antics, I would guess the problem is her, not the Teatro Colon.

    • Gigi Vary says:

      You may agreeably work for others without a valid labour contract which might protect your own rights, but most of us feel it negative. You got your point only basing on Angela’s previous hearsay, but why you didn’t think of the Colon’s past scandals, like unfairly treating their artists?

  • Zen Sailor says:

    She seems to leave nothing but problems and ill-will in her wake….beyond temperamental, she has a history of selfish and destructive self-worship…..they should have no problem finding another performer…..actually, a student that sang at the Grand Opening of the Kirchner Center could probably fill in without the drama.

  • Patrick says:

    Welcome to Argentina, lady…. you either want to sing there or you don’t. If you’re the type of person who needs to have everything just so, then you should have stayed home. Your loss, in the end.

  • Ungeheuer says:

    Indeed she may have been stiffed by the Porteños (it’s a way of life down there) but, in the end, she is starved for attention. She and Warner have a new record to peddle after all. I would never buy it for the main reason that she has sung with Bocelli and, well, …….. Besides, she still thinks she is someone comparable to Callas. She isn’t. Not by the number of miles separating Buenos Aires from Bucharest.

    • Luiz says:

      Hahhahaha loved this! I got tickets to all of the performances, paid a very salty price for airplane fees as well (I live in Brazil), but Tolas exceptional skills made up for all the trouble! When I read her accusations on Facebook, the first thing on my mind was “this must be her fault… I mean… how can you trust someone with enough bad taste to release an entire album comparing herself to Callas???? Hahahha but she do have a very good voice 🙂

  • me! says:

    She is right that this is a fracaso — they clearly should have either signed or set a firm refusal on certain points so she could decide in advance whether to come or not; contracts should be executed much in advance — that they expected her to capitulate is unjust – they were trying to play her and in the end, whatever happened, it should have been sorted way earlier and is a failure for the Colon, regardless of her prior situations. She is, actually, a tremendous artist with great gifts and unique (as all good performers are). [that said, if they were firm with her and she was trying to get more and holding off signing, well audiatur et altera pars, but they have an obligation to make a statement to their public.

  • Dave says:

    Can anyone say ‘Diva’?

  • Stephen says:

    She is self-obsessed: “I, I, I, I, I” Numero Uno – in her eyes at least. To me she always sounds when singing like royalty at a garden party.

  • Stephen says:

    Compltely self-obsessed as usual; “I, I, I, I”. To me she always sounds when singing like royalty at a garden party and she even upset Solti when it was he who gave her her first big break.

  • Lucrezia Borgia says:

    Bloody hell! She has surpassed her previous diva antics this time.
    “An extremely long journey”. Oh please. If she was travelling in anything less than a flat bed in business or even first class I will be very surprised. Is she even aware of the “extremely long” journeys that Syrian and other refugees are forced to make? Tiny voiced and self-obsessed, you are better off without her dear Argentinian opera goers.

  • Pianofortissimo says:

    Maybe her agent is to blame.

  • Josep says:

    Good riddance. Wonderful Buenos Aires can do without all the preening and the permanently incipient wobble (and associated cover ups).

  • Multi Culti says:

    They aren’t called Opera Divas for nuttin’. They don’t end the Opera after they’ve left the stage, nor do they wait till they’ve stepped onto it. Hopefully she’s been declawed.

  • Mario Denis says:

    delicious gossip, love it…..

  • Paul says:

    There was some candid footage of her and Alagna during their performance at the Golden Jubilee Celebrations of Queen Elizabeth, and I thought I noticed that Alagna was very distant from her. At one stage she smiled nd tried to take his arm, during curtain calls, I think, and I remember him pulling away. At first, I thought this was owing to possible Corsican moodiness on his part (I have heard no reports to that effect, though), but I thought he was the one being difficult. It now seems the shoe is on the other foot.

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