Angela Gheorghiu (born Angela Burlacu) (born September 7, 1965)^[1] is a prominent Romanian operatic soprano. Since her profesional debut in 1990, she has sung leading roles at the New York Metropolitan Opera, the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Vienna State Opera, La Scala Milan, and many other major opera houses in Europe and the United States. She has an extensive discography, primarily on EMI Classics and Decca. is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1965 (MCMLXV) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full calendar) of the 1965 Gregorian calendar. ... For other uses, see Opera (disambiguation). ... This article is about the voice-type. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... The Teatro alla Scala in Milan, by night. ... EMI Classics is a record label of EMI. It was formed in 1990 in order to reduce the need to create country-specific packaging and catalogs for internationally distributed classical music releases. ... It has been suggested that Decca Music Group be merged into this article or section. ...

Biography

The daughter of a train driver, Gheorghiu (pronounced [gjor'giu]) was born in Adjud, Romania. Along with her sister Elena Dan, she sang opera music from an early age.^[2] At age 14, Gheorghiu began to study singing at the Bucharest Music Academy, primarily under Mia Barbu. Her graduation in 1990 coincided with the overthrow of Nicolae Ceauşescu, enabling her to seek an international career immediately. Her professional opera debut took place at the Cluj Opera as Mimì in La bohème in 1990, the same year she won the Belvedere International Competition.^[3] County Status Municipality Mayor Constantin Armencea, Social Democratic Party, since 2004 Area 59. ... This article is about the year. ... Nicolae CeauÅŸescu (IPA , in English, sometimes (and erroneously) ) (January 26, 1918–December 25, 1989) was the leader of Romania from 1965 until December 1989, when a revolution and coup removed him from power. ... Map of Romania showing Cluj_Napoca Cluj_Napoca (Hungarian: Kolozsvár, German: Klausenburg, Latin: Claudiopolis), the seat of Cluj county, is one of the most important academic, cultural and industrial centers in Romania. ... For other uses, see La bohème (disambiguation). ...

Gheorghiu made her international debut in 1992 at Covent Garden as Zerlina in Don Giovanni.^[4] She debuted at the Vienna State Opera as Adina in L'elisir d'amore and at the Metropolitan Opera as Mimi in La bohème.^[5] The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Don Giovanni (K.527; complete title: Il dissoluto punito, ossia il Don Giovanni, literally The Rake Punishd, or Don Giovanni) is an opera in two acts with music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and libretto by Lorenzo da Ponte. ... Vienna State Opera (German: Wiener Staatsoper), located in Vienna, Austria, is one of the most important opera companies in Europe. ... Lelisir damore (The Elixir of Love) is a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on Eugène Scribes Le Philtre. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ...

In 1994, she was auditioned by the conductor Sir Georg Solti for a new production of La traviata. Her debut as Violetta led her to international stardom. Year 1994 (MCMXCIV) The year 1994 was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by the United Nations. ... Sir Georg Solti, KBE (IPA: ) (German:[]) (21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a 31-time Grammy Award winning, world-renowned Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor. ... La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. ...

She records many albums and complete recordings and often appears on television and in concerts. Her performance as Violetta in La traviata with Solti was watched by more than 1 million people in the United Kingdom.^{[citation needed]}

Gheorghiu has concentrated her repertoire in roles with which she has great affinity: Violetta (La traviata), Mimì (La bohème), Magda (La rondine), Adina (L'elisir d'amore), Juliette (Roméo et Juliette) and some others. In 2003, she debuted as Nedda in Pagliacci and as Marguerite in Faust. A soprano with a large range and a dark coloured voice^[6], Gheorghiu is also able to sing spinto roles. She has recorded Tosca (also made into a film directed by the French Benoît Jacquot) and Leonora in Il trovatore for EMI and sang in her first Tosca at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, in 2006. Her performance was an overall success, although because the famous Zeffirelli production of 1964 was replaced by a new production (which premiered with her), there was comparison between the Toscas of Gheorghiu and Maria Callas, for whom the Zeffirelli production was designed. A poster for the Italian premiere. ... Roméo et Juliette (Romeo and Juliet) is an opera in five acts by Charles Gounod to a French libretto by Jules Barbier and Michel Carré, based on the play by Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare. ... Cover of the first edition of Pagliacci published by E. Sonzogno, Milan, 1892 Pagliacci (Clowns) is an opera consisting of a prologue and two acts written and composed by Ruggero Leoncavallo. ... For other uses, see Faust (disambiguation). ... Spinto is a vocal term used to characterize a soprano or tenor voice of a weight between lyric and dramatic that is capable of handling large dramatic climaxes at moderate intervals. ... For other uses, see Tosca (disambiguation). ... Il trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare and Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play El Trobador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ... Franco Zeffirelli (born Gianfranco Corsi on February 12, 1923), is an Italian film director. ... Maria Callas in a casual moment, 1960s Maria Callas (Greek: Μαρία Κάλλας) (December 2, 1923 – September 16, 1977) was an American born, Greek dramatic coloratura soprano and perhaps the best-known opera singer of the post-World War II period. ...

Georghiu was nominated in 2001 for a "Best Opera Recording" Grammy for her EMI recording Massenet: Manon. ^[7]

Gheorghiu at the Met and Elsewhere

Gheorghiu has experienced a tempestuous relationship with the Metropolitan Opera since her debut as Mimi in 1993. It is rumored that she frequently butted heads with the Met's former General Manager, Joseph Volpe (opera). In 1996, Gheorghiu was cast as Micaela in a new production of Carmen, opposite Waltraud Meier and Placido Domingo. The production, by Franco Zeffirelli, called for Gheorghiu's Micaela to wear a blonde wig, a nuance to which the soprano vehemently objected. Volpe famously declaimed that, "the wig is going on, with you or without you". The singer is known for her capricious behavior, as Volpe, and William Mason, later, noted. ^[8]. Gheorghiu later relented, and appeared in ten performances of Carmen that season. To meet Wikipedias quality standards, the lead section of this article may need to be expanded. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... For other uses, see Carmen (disambiguation). ... Waltraud Meier (born January 9, 1956) is a Grammy-award winning German mezzo-soprano. ... Plácido Domingo (born January 21, 1941) is a world-renowned opera singer, conductor, and general manager. ... Franco Zeffirelli (born Gianfranco Corsi on February 12, 1923), is an Italian film director. ...

Two years later, Volpe had planned to engage Gheorghiu in her signature role, Violetta Valery, for a new production of La Traviata, also to be directed by Zeffirelli. Her husband, tenor Roberto Alagna, was to sing the role of Violetta's lover, Alfredo Germont. Again, the soprano (as well as her tenor husband) squabbled with staff and director over production details.^{[citation needed]} Both Gheorghiu and Alagna eventually signed their contracts, which were faxed one day past their expiration date. Holding them to the letter, Volpe refused to accept them and the production opened with Patricia Racette and Marcelo Alvarez as the lovers. Eight years later, in the last year of Volpe's tenure, Gheorghiu sang her first Met performances as Violetta to glowing reviews. She arrived with her own costumes and refused to wear anything else.^{[citation needed]} La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. ... Roberto Alagna (born June 7, 1963) is French operatic tenor. ... Patricia Lynn Racette is an internationally-known opera singer from the United States. ... Date of birth 1962 Location Buenos Aires, Argentina Actor - filmography Rigoletto Story(2005) (V) .... Duke of Mantua Bohème, La (2003) (TV) .... Rodolfo Lucia di Lammermoor (2003) (TV) .... Edgardo Lucrezia Borgia (2002) (TV) (as Marcello Alvarez) .... Gennaro Manon (2001) (TV) .... Le Chevalier des Grieux Rigoletto (2001/II) (TV) .... Duke of...

In 2008, she will sing her first performances as Mimi in the Met since 1996. Gheorghiu's future engagements at the house include Magda in a new production of Puccini's La Rondine, the company's first performances of the opera since 1936; Marie Antoinette in a rare revival of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles; and another new production of Carmen, this time as the opera's eponymous heroine. Her upcoming performances are subject to her actual appearance, and her cancellation of a performance is not a rare event.^{[citation needed]} A poster for the Italian premiere. ... John Corigliano (b. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... For other uses, see Carmen (disambiguation). ...

Georghiu was fired by the Director, William Mason, of The Lyric Opera Of Chicago, in September, 2007, for missing many rehearsals, and other breeches of her contract, and generally "unprofessional" behavior. ^[9]

Personal life

Divorced from her first husband, from whom she retained her surname, Gheorghiu married the French-Italian tenor Roberto Alagna in 1996. The couple have sung together often on stage and on studio recordings. She was once chosen the 74th "most beautiful" woman in the world by the magazine FHM.^{[citation needed]} Roberto Alagna (born June 7, 1963) is French operatic tenor. ... FHM or For Him Magazine is an international monthly lads mag. ...

Partial Discography

• Arias Decca 1996
• L'elisir d'amore (Donizetti) Decca 1997
• Mysterium - Sacred Arias Decca 2001
• La Bohème (Puccini) Decca
• La Traviata (Verdi) Decca
• La Rondine (Puccini) EMI
• Werther (Massenet) EMI
• Manon (Massenet) EMI
• Tosca soundtrack (Puccini) EMI
• Il Trittico (Puccini) EMI
• Verdi: Requiem (Verdi) EMI
• Il Trovatore (Verdi) EMI
• Romeo et Juliette (Gounod) EMI
• Live From La Scala EMI 2007

Lelisir damore (The Elixir of Love) is a comic opera in two acts by Gaetano Donizetti to an Italian libretto by Felice Romani, based on Eugène Scribes Le Philtre. ... For other uses, see La bohème (disambiguation). ... La traviata is an opera in three acts by Giuseppe Verdi set to an Italian libretto by Francesco Maria Piave. ... A poster for the Italian premiere. ... Werther is an opera in four acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Édouard Blau, based on the novel The Sorrows of Young Werther by Goethe. ... Manon is an opera in five acts by Jules Massenet to a French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Philippe Gille, based on L’histoire du chevalier des Grieux et de Manon Lescaut by Abbé Prévost. ... For other uses, see Tosca (disambiguation). ... Il trittico (The Triptych) is the title to a collection of three one-act operas, Il tabarro, Suor Angelica, and Gianni Schicchi, by Giacomo Puccini. ... Il trovatore (The Troubadour) is an opera in four acts by Giuseppe Verdi to an Italian libretto by Leone Emanuele Bardare and Salvatore Cammarano, based on the play El Trobador by Antonio García Gutiérrez. ... Roméo et Juliette is a symphonie dramatique, a large scale work in French for mixed voices and orchestra, by French composer Hector Berlioz. ...

Notes

External links

• Angela Gheorghiu: Official website (This has been down since approximately July, 2007)
• Official Angela Gheorghiu page on EMI Classics (Biography, discography, schedule)