Angela Gheorghiu
VIVA, DIVA!
A Voyage Through Verdi with Soprano Angela Gheorghiu
Ever since she burst onto the opera scene in a star-making Covent Garden production of "La Traviata" in 1994, Angela Gheorghiu has lived -- and thrived -- in the spotlight. Her storybook romance, onstage and off, with tenor Roberto Alagna -- their wedding was performed backstage at the Metropolitan Opera by New York mayor Rudy Giuliani -- is one part of the story. So are the tales of demanding and difficult behavior -- but do we expect any less of a true diva? In the end, what matters most is the young Romanian soprano's abundant vocal and dramatic talent -- which has made her a cherished commodity for opera companies and fans alike. Following a varied collection of ARIAS and a globetrotting song recital, MY WORLD, Gheorghiu's latest album is a dazzling array of VERDI HEROINES. In a recent interview with Scott Paulin, Barnes & Noble.com's classical editor, Gheorghiu talked about this ever-popular composer, her optimism for the future of opera, and her mania for collecting CDs.
Barnes & Noble.com: Verdi is a great favorite of opera singers and audiences alike. What is it about his music that especially appeals to you?
Angela Gheorghiu: Verdi is special because he knows very well how to write for voices, and especially for sopranos. He loves this voice, and his music is between bel canto and coloratura and verismo. With all these ingredients, he gives me a palette of colors to sing, so he really helps me to paint something.
Barnes & Noble.com: You're very closely identified with the role of Violetta in LA TRAVIATA, but on VERDI HEROINES you sing arias from nine operas that you haven't yet sung on stage. How did you choose them?
AG: I put on the record exactly the arias that I love the most. I'm not so far on in this career yet, and it's impossible to open a career with a "Don Carlo" or "Aida." [laughs] Little by little, I want to sing all those roles. The next year, in any case, I will sing a new production of "Luisa Miller," for the Verdi centenary. And so and so and so!
Barnes & Noble.com: Most of the arias here are very well known. Did you consciously try to bring something new in your approach to them?
AG: When I sing something, I don't want to make more or less of it than somebody else. I just give my soul and my interpretation, the way I want it to be and that I can do! I never sing something because of someone else. Of course, I am always very interested about everybody else, because I am crazy about CDs -- I have everybody at home [laughs] -- but when I sing and study something I really give my own point of view, you understand? My voice brings another dimension -- not only with me, but with each singer it's another dimension.
Barnes & Noble.com: Aside from Verdi, what are you planning for the future?
AG: This year, I will record "Tosca," and then "Faust." I just finished recording Massenet's "Manon," et voilà! I would also like to sing some Mozart, some arie antiche, and...everything -- I mean, nobody says you must sing only one kind of music!
Barnes & Noble.com: As a soprano, you mostly get to sing sympathetic heroines, although some of them are very complex and multifaceted. Do you ever get the urge to play the villain?
AG: Ah, the villain! The only villain in Verdi's heroines is Lady Macbeth, and when my voice becomes a "villain," I will sing this! [laughs] I hope never! I would want to sing even "Macbeth" with a beautiful voice, and just give the color of the villain. I'm sorry to say this, but a lot of modern music is not for beautiful voices. It's not fair. The music for voice is not always so well written. But everything, even it it's not written so well for the voice, it becomes wonderful with a beautiful voice.
Barnes & Noble.com: Who are some singers whom you particularly admire?
AG: Oh, there are a lot. I am a maniac of CDs! I am really a maniac -- I have everybody. With which one I can start?! I have everyone from Nellie Melba until now. Though you cannot hear Nellie Melba well on CDs; I don't know how she sings, really....
Barnes & Noble.com: Because the technology wasn't advanced enough yet....
AG: Yes, but I have some other favorites: Maria Cebotari, the Romanian soprano -- she's fantastic. Tebaldi, Caballé, Scotto, Callas. But everybody I have spoken about is a soprano. The most beautiful voice in the world is a Romanian baritone: His name is Nicolae Herlea. He is absolutely amazing. And I also like, for example, Georges Thill, a fantastic French tenor. I sometimes like Leontyne Price, and Margaret Price in Mozart. It's impossible to have one singer who does everything well, you understand? My priorities depend on the composers.
Barnes & Noble.com: Getting back to Verdi, who is your ideal Aida, or Leonora in "Forza del Destino"?
AG: Oh, Tebaldi -- absolutely wonderful. And then Leontyne Price, or Callas. But Callas not in everything; I prefer "Aida" with somebody else.
Barnes & Noble.com: Besides opera, what other kinds of music interest you?
AG: Oh, I like popular music from all the countries. I like Indian music. One of the biggest interpreters of Indian music is a Romanian singer, from my city. Her name is Nargita. I adore her. It's amazing music and just a fantastic culture. And in my own country, the popular music is so beautiful. You might remember the Romanian popular song that [gymnast] Nadia Comaneci used in her routines.
I am also a maniac for movies. I have thousands! [laughs] I have all of Laurence Olivier, Richard Burton, Cary Grant, Audrey Hepburn, Katherine Hepburn, Sophia Loren, and I love Al Pacino. Now, you know who is the new Charlie Chaplin? Roberto Benigni -- he's absolutely amazing! Because imagine, he does everything in his movies. That's not so easy!
Barnes & Noble.com: You must often return to the same opera in a variety of different productions. What makes a successful production for you?
AG: When there's a family atmosphere. Not when there's a situation -- as we had for 25 years in my country -- like a dictator. It's impossible. It makes me crazy. When there's somebody in front of me, a conductor or producer, who smiles to me and is optimistic in his gesture or his words, then I give everything. But if somebody says "You must do this because I do the personnage," like I heard one time, I say "Excuse me -- what about me?" It's impossible to do in this way.
Barnes & Noble.com: Where do you see opera going as we enter the 21st century?
AG: It's a very difficult question, because it's a contradictory situation. Today there is the biggest audience ever for opera. Never was there such a big public for opera. But another point: There are sometimes people who are not really opera singers, although people think they are. And they never sing an opera, or maybe they sing one time in a year. It's a bit unfair. It's like being a doctor and only doing an operation once in two years. But I think we are in a very optimistic moment for the opera, and also with the Internet; we have some projects to do movies on it, and we are very happy to do this. I am very happy to be in this moment in this world, because it's a fantastic time.
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