"We are like birds. Singing is in our blood. For us not to sing is tragedy," said the tenor Roberto Alagna. Pleasant, professional and warm-hearted were Alagna, 38, and Angela Gheorghiu, 36, at a press conference held yesterday at the Ritz Carlton Seoul, sometimes fielding the questions with cheerful remarks, most of the time showing their sincere enthusiasm for music and singing. The opera world's most sought-after duo arrived here on Friday, well before their first Seoul concert slated for Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center in Socho-dong, unlike other star musicians who fly into the city just a day or two before their concert and hurriedly depart for another destination. "So far everything's simply pleasant. Maybe when we start rehearsals, then things will change,"said Alagna casually. "For us to be here is a new adventure because we are here for the first time. But whenever I go to a new country all over the world, I am so impressed that a lot of young people love the beautiful art of opera. And after seeing our performance, I hope everyone in the audience in Seoul will feel the same way," said Gheorghiu. As the two celebrated singers are big fans of soccer, (Gheorghiu clapped her hands with an all excited smile when asked if they had a plan to go to see the soccer games.) they are also trying to watch the games currently under way on television. "I saw the match of Korea and Poland and that was the best match I¡¯ve seen since this year¡¯s matches started," said the French-born Sicilian tenor who finds himself upsetting family members when he cheers for the French team whenever there's a match between France and Italy. Married backstage of the Metropolitan Opera Theater in New York in 1996 during an intermission of "La Boheme" with then-mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani officiating the ceremony, Alagna and Gheorghiu, as individual singers and as a couple, have captured the public's attention with their storybook romance offstage and charismatic performances onstage. "We are so complementary in personality and in singing as well. Everything goes ok. Sometimes something happens, such as a small quarrel, it happens with every couple. But once onstage, I love Roberto more than ever again," Gheorghiu said. "We are very lucky. I see Angela as a different character everyday. She is Juliet one night and Violeta the other night. It's like I have one thousand wives in one," Alagna countered. Gheorghiu, who is often honorably compared with Maria Callas (1923-1977), does not receive critical acclaim for her artistry alone. Some critics say the beautiful singer's success owes somewhat more to her beauty rather than her talent. "Maybe it's helpful. But you must have the talent, the voice. And not only the voice, but the unique tone of voice, something new to say to public, because we sing the songs all other singers have sung before and are singing now. It's the unique talent to reach the public," Gheorghiu said. "Every singer has her own story, character and language. I always listen to recordings of others. As an opera singer, I never want to be ignorant. I want to know where I am as a professional singer," she said. To be a top singer is not without pressures, of course. But these two confident singers are not those who step back easily. "Voice is a strange thing. One day it's good, but the next day it's terrible, because of an air conditioner, or because you didn't sleep well, or because you're sad. Then who gives us this voice? I don't know. But I know it's our mission to share it with the public," he said. "We don't use microphones. Our body is our instrument. If you are a pianist, you can break 10 pianos but we cannot do the same to our body. We are in the hands of God," Gheorghiu said, conveying the heart of singing before she and her husband demonstrate it to the public onstage on Wednesday night. World's most adored opera couple to meet Seoul fans Wednesday Bae Eun-joo, Korea Herald, 9 June 2002 Often referred to as the "golden couple of the 21st century opera world," tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Angela Gheorghiu will meet their Korean fans Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center. Since their marriage at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1996, which drew worldwide attention, the musician couple has overwhelmed the stage with their magnificent voices and dazzling appearance "Everything is double on the stage, our emotions, of course. We're so complimentary," Gheorghiu said in a press conference in Seoul Saturday. "Even if we have a small fight but when we go on stage, we fall in love once again, and we're in love much more," she said. Being married to the international opera star is a lucky experience, Alagna said, as he can see her in different styles from various epochs all the time. "One night, she is Juliette, one night she can be Violetta. For me, it's like having one thousand wives in one," he said. The two musicians released several recordings together, including Gounod's "Romeo and Juliette," Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi," Verdi's "Requiem" and "Verdi per due," Massenet's "Werther" and "Manon." Besides releasing albums jointly, the couple starred together in the film "Tosca," which premiered at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in 2001. Asked whether non-musical factors, such as good looks or an offstage romance, have contributed to the couple's rise to stardom, Gheorghiu said it is the musical talent and effort to keep the unique timber of voice that decides the singer's career, after all. "We sing for pleasure, passion," her husband commented. "We're like birds. Singing is something natural, something in our blood. We may live without singing, but it must be a tragedy." A winner of the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award and a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, Alagna said the more he studies the details of an operatic piece, the more he falls in love with the music and discovers a miracle in every composition. "I believe in artistic evolution. Each time I sing, I try to do something different. I try to find a new interpretation all the time, a new way to sing," he said. Alagna, winner of the 1998 Luciano Pavarotti International Competition, made his debut as Alfredo in "La Traviata" with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera. The triumphant debut performance took him to major opera houses across the world, including his La Scala debut two years later. His earlier performance as Romeo in Gounod's "Romeo and Juliette" at the Covent Garden in 1994 confirmed his status as one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation. In March 2000, Alagna appeared again on the same stage, this time alongside his wife Gheorghiu in the title roles of Romeo and Juliette. Born in France of Sicilian parents, Alagna has often been dubbed "the fourth tenor," succeeding the big three, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras. He, however, does not agree. "My favorite is Pavarotti for the voice. I'm very impressed by Domingo's repertoire and Carreras has a big heart. But we're not the same generation. Comparing me to them is not fair for me, not fair for them," he said. The couple is scheduled to appear together across the world this year on the stages of Japan and Greece. |
Review & Background Articles Concert, Seoul, Seoul Arts Center, June 2002 Alagna, Gheorghiu Highlight Tournament, Associated Press, 12 June 2002 With Our Voices in God's Hands, Korea Times, 9 June 2002 World's most adored opera couple to meet Seoul fans, Korea Herald, 9 June 2002 _____________________________________________________ Alagna, Gheorghiu Highlight Tournament Ronald Blum, Associated Press, 12 June 2002 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The 1990 World Cup gave birth to the Three Tenors. While those operatic elder statesmen will perform again before the final later this month in Japan, the artistic highlight of this year's tournament was Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. The husband-and-wife tenor and soprano performed Wednesday in what was touted as Seoul's ``concert of the year'' at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center and proved to be every bit opera's glamour couple. Alagna was tieless in a white dinner jacket, white vest and pink handkerchief, with Gheorghiu in a sky-blue-and-pink gown with matching cape. After the obligatory overture (``Luisa Miller''), the program began unsteadily with ``Gia nella notte densa,'' the love duet that closes the first act of Verdi's ``Otello.'' Desdemona sits well with Gheorghiu's voice - she can float soft notes and has a tremendous upper register that can soar. Alagna, who has a lyric to lyric-spinto tenor, sounded strained pushing up to a dramatic tenor part, the forte notes losing some of their beauty. He plans to sing Radames in ``Aida'' and his first ``Otello'' at Saint-Etienne, France, in 2004, but should think hard before taking on roles that helped wreck the voices of other notable lyric tenors. The rest of the night was far more satisfying. He sang effortlessly and excitingly in ``Quando le sere al placido,'' from Verdi's ``Luisa Miller.'' Gheorghiu gave the most thrilling solo turn of the night in ``Pace, pace mio dio'' from Verdi's ``La Forza del Destino.'' Opera houses have searched more than a decade for a great Leonore - she's the one. Closing the first half, the two sang ``Parigi o cara,'' the third act duet from Verdi's ``La Traviata,'' which they performed in March at the Metropolitan Opera pension fund concert. The second half included the ``Ah talor del mio pensiero'' duet from Donizetti's ``Lucia del Lammermoor,'' Gheorghiu's ``Un bel di'' from Puccini's ``Madama Butterfly,'' Alagna's ``Un di allazzurro spezio'' from Giordano's ``Andrea Chenier'' and the ``Vogliatemi bene'' duet from the second act of ``Butterfly.'' During the duets, Alagna wrapped his arm around his wife, whom he married at the Met in April 1996. They made goo-goo eyes at each other during their fourth and final encore, and gave each other a big kiss - provoking swoons from the audience behind the stage. During the final bows, Alagna kicked his foot in the air and smiled, which the crowd took as encouragement for South Korea's soccer team, which plays Portugal on Friday with a chance to advance to the second round for the first time. Interview 'With Our Voices in God's Hands Park Soo-in, Korea Times, 9 June 2002 |
Review & Background Articles Concert, Seoul, Seoul Arts Center, June 2002 Alagna, Gheorghiu Highlight Tournament, Associated Press, 12 June 2002 With Our Voices in God's Hands, Korea Times, 9 June 2002 World's most adored opera couple to meet Seoul fans, Korea Herald, 9 June 2002 _____________________________________________________ Alagna, Gheorghiu Highlight Tournament Ronald Blum, Associated Press, 12 June 2002 SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - The 1990 World Cup gave birth to the Three Tenors. While those operatic elder statesmen will perform again before the final later this month in Japan, the artistic highlight of this year's tournament was Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu. The husband-and-wife tenor and soprano performed Wednesday in what was touted as Seoul's ``concert of the year'' at the Concert Hall of the Seoul Arts Center and proved to be every bit opera's glamour couple. Alagna was tieless in a white dinner jacket, white vest and pink handkerchief, with Gheorghiu in a sky-blue-and-pink gown with matching cape. After the obligatory overture (``Luisa Miller''), the program began unsteadily with ``Gia nella notte densa,'' the love duet that closes the first act of Verdi's ``Otello.'' Desdemona sits well with Gheorghiu's voice - she can float soft notes and has a tremendous upper register that can soar. Alagna, who has a lyric to lyric-spinto tenor, sounded strained pushing up to a dramatic tenor part, the forte notes losing some of their beauty. He plans to sing Radames in ``Aida'' and his first ``Otello'' at Saint-Etienne, France, in 2004, but should think hard before taking on roles that helped wreck the voices of other notable lyric tenors. The rest of the night was far more satisfying. He sang effortlessly and excitingly in ``Quando le sere al placido,'' from Verdi's ``Luisa Miller.'' Gheorghiu gave the most thrilling solo turn of the night in ``Pace, pace mio dio'' from Verdi's ``La Forza del Destino.'' Opera houses have searched more than a decade for a great Leonore - she's the one. Closing the first half, the two sang ``Parigi o cara,'' the third act duet from Verdi's ``La Traviata,'' which they performed in March at the Metropolitan Opera pension fund concert. The second half included the ``Ah talor del mio pensiero'' duet from Donizetti's ``Lucia del Lammermoor,'' Gheorghiu's ``Un bel di'' from Puccini's ``Madama Butterfly,'' Alagna's ``Un di allazzurro spezio'' from Giordano's ``Andrea Chenier'' and the ``Vogliatemi bene'' duet from the second act of ``Butterfly.'' During the duets, Alagna wrapped his arm around his wife, whom he married at the Met in April 1996. They made goo-goo eyes at each other during their fourth and final encore, and gave each other a big kiss - provoking swoons from the audience behind the stage. During the final bows, Alagna kicked his foot in the air and smiled, which the crowd took as encouragement for South Korea's soccer team, which plays Portugal on Friday with a chance to advance to the second round for the first time. Interview 'With Our Voices in God's Hands Park Soo-in, Korea Times, 9 June 2002 |
"We are like birds. Singing is in our blood. For us not to sing is tragedy," said the tenor Roberto Alagna. Pleasant, professional and warm-hearted were Alagna, 38, and Angela Gheorghiu, 36, at a press conference held yesterday at the Ritz Carlton Seoul, sometimes fielding the questions with cheerful remarks, most of the time showing their sincere enthusiasm for music and singing. The opera world's most sought-after duo arrived here on Friday, well before their first Seoul concert slated for Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center in Socho-dong, unlike other star musicians who fly into the city just a day or two before their concert and hurriedly depart for another destination. "So far everything's simply pleasant. Maybe when we start rehearsals, then things will change,"said Alagna casually. "For us to be here is a new adventure because we are here for the first time. But whenever I go to a new country all over the world, I am so impressed that a lot of young people love the beautiful art of opera. And after seeing our performance, I hope everyone in the audience in Seoul will feel the same way," said Gheorghiu. As the two celebrated singers are big fans of soccer, (Gheorghiu clapped her hands with an all excited smile when asked if they had a plan to go to see the soccer games.) they are also trying to watch the games currently under way on television. "I saw the match of Korea and Poland and that was the best match I¡¯ve seen since this year¡¯s matches started," said the French-born Sicilian tenor who finds himself upsetting family members when he cheers for the French team whenever there's a match between France and Italy. Married backstage of the Metropolitan Opera Theater in New York in 1996 during an intermission of "La Boheme" with then-mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani officiating the ceremony, Alagna and Gheorghiu, as individual singers and as a couple, have captured the public's attention with their storybook romance offstage and charismatic performances onstage. "We are so complementary in personality and in singing as well. Everything goes ok. Sometimes something happens, such as a small quarrel, it happens with every couple. But once onstage, I love Roberto more than ever again," Gheorghiu said. "We are very lucky. I see Angela as a different character everyday. She is Juliet one night and Violeta the other night. It's like I have one thousand wives in one," Alagna countered. Gheorghiu, who is often honorably compared with Maria Callas (1923-1977), does not receive critical acclaim for her artistry alone. Some critics say the beautiful singer's success owes somewhat more to her beauty rather than her talent. "Maybe it's helpful. But you must have the talent, the voice. And not only the voice, but the unique tone of voice, something new to say to public, because we sing the songs all other singers have sung before and are singing now. It's the unique talent to reach the public," Gheorghiu said. "Every singer has her own story, character and language. I always listen to recordings of others. As an opera singer, I never want to be ignorant. I want to know where I am as a professional singer," she said. To be a top singer is not without pressures, of course. But these two confident singers are not those who step back easily. "Voice is a strange thing. One day it's good, but the next day it's terrible, because of an air conditioner, or because you didn't sleep well, or because you're sad. Then who gives us this voice? I don't know. But I know it's our mission to share it with the public," he said. "We don't use microphones. Our body is our instrument. If you are a pianist, you can break 10 pianos but we cannot do the same to our body. We are in the hands of God," Gheorghiu said, conveying the heart of singing before she and her husband demonstrate it to the public onstage on Wednesday night. World's most adored opera couple to meet Seoul fans Wednesday Bae Eun-joo, Korea Herald, 9 June 2002 Often referred to as the "golden couple of the 21st century opera world," tenor Roberto Alagna and soprano Angela Gheorghiu will meet their Korean fans Wednesday at the Seoul Arts Center. Since their marriage at the New York Metropolitan Opera House in 1996, which drew worldwide attention, the musician couple has overwhelmed the stage with their magnificent voices and dazzling appearance "Everything is double on the stage, our emotions, of course. We're so complimentary," Gheorghiu said in a press conference in Seoul Saturday. "Even if we have a small fight but when we go on stage, we fall in love once again, and we're in love much more," she said. Being married to the international opera star is a lucky experience, Alagna said, as he can see her in different styles from various epochs all the time. "One night, she is Juliette, one night she can be Violetta. For me, it's like having one thousand wives in one," he said. The two musicians released several recordings together, including Gounod's "Romeo and Juliette," Puccini's "Gianni Schicchi," Verdi's "Requiem" and "Verdi per due," Massenet's "Werther" and "Manon." Besides releasing albums jointly, the couple starred together in the film "Tosca," which premiered at the Venice and Toronto film festivals in 2001. Asked whether non-musical factors, such as good looks or an offstage romance, have contributed to the couple's rise to stardom, Gheorghiu said it is the musical talent and effort to keep the unique timber of voice that decides the singer's career, after all. "We sing for pleasure, passion," her husband commented. "We're like birds. Singing is something natural, something in our blood. We may live without singing, but it must be a tragedy." A winner of the prestigious Laurence Olivier Award and a Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres, Alagna said the more he studies the details of an operatic piece, the more he falls in love with the music and discovers a miracle in every composition. "I believe in artistic evolution. Each time I sing, I try to do something different. I try to find a new interpretation all the time, a new way to sing," he said. Alagna, winner of the 1998 Luciano Pavarotti International Competition, made his debut as Alfredo in "La Traviata" with the Glyndebourne Touring Opera. The triumphant debut performance took him to major opera houses across the world, including his La Scala debut two years later. His earlier performance as Romeo in Gounod's "Romeo and Juliette" at the Covent Garden in 1994 confirmed his status as one of the finest lyric tenors of his generation. In March 2000, Alagna appeared again on the same stage, this time alongside his wife Gheorghiu in the title roles of Romeo and Juliette. Born in France of Sicilian parents, Alagna has often been dubbed "the fourth tenor," succeeding the big three, Pavarotti, Domingo and Carreras. He, however, does not agree. "My favorite is Pavarotti for the voice. I'm very impressed by Domingo's repertoire and Carreras has a big heart. But we're not the same generation. Comparing me to them is not fair for me, not fair for them," he said. The couple is scheduled to appear together across the world this year on the stages of Japan and Greece. |
Soprano Angela Gheorghiu, left, and her husband, tenor Roberto Alagna, pose at the press conference held Saturday at the Ritz Carlton Seoul in Yoksam-dong. |
This page was last updated on: July 26, 2002
