Breaking! Alagnas still married!
According to an Angela Gheorghiu fansite (and what more reliable source could La Cieca ask?), the raven-tressed diva stated in an interview on Romanian television that she and current husband Roberto Alagna have no current plans to change their current matrimonial status.
Says Gheorghiu, with a straight face:
We have ups and downs. Roberto doesn’t want to divorce. I try to understand this…. I wanted [a divorce] at some point. Because of our job we don’t get to see each other for long time. During the last few years we parted more and more because of our repertoire. This was one of the main reasons. And there was also jealousy. My Romanian temper made me say “stop.” But he’s trying to give me the freedom I need in order to feel comfortable…. For the moment we won’t divorce. Peace of mind is very important for me. And he keeps telling me that we should move on to the next level of our relationship.
La Cieca is of course as mystified as you, cher public, as to what that “next level” might possibly involve, but… well, one can only hope.
la donna e mobile
I’m glad they made this decision.
However I won’t be very enthusiastic about this piece of news because artists(not only women)are changeable.I mean I hope it lasts.
They were a superb couple and if they are happy perhaps we could hope for beautiful musical moments together.
Garanca still gets the Carmen gig…
It’s all about taxes and finances. Too
big to fail!
La donnaccia e’ mobile!
Finances might be into play. There are many millions that would need to be divided. Did Gheorghiu adopt Alagna’s daughter? If she did, that might have something to play.
Now, she does admit to have a temper; is he a player? I have always had the impression that he is a family man given what happened to him and his late wife. Gheorghiu herself said that he is the one (at least at one point) wanting to patch things up. By all intends and purposes, it is Gheorghiu the one who has been bitter about this whole thing. Alagna made a statement and that was it, Gheorghiu has been the one who has been throwing accusations and wood to the fire.
Maybe he just got tired of her being a bitch and kicked her to the curb and she is been trying to play the victim all along. Given how different their behavior has been in the past couple of years (he behaving like a trooper, more or less and she carefully cultivating the bitch persona) I would not be surprised if he realized that she is poison to his career and told her so.
Maybe it’s the next Emanation?
We really never know what is going on in a relationship. I think sometimes what seems to be happening to outsiders is just the opposite. Often we think a particular person in the couple is the one cheating or being controlling when it is the other way around. Just throwing that out as a Devil’s Advocate thought. I don’t think there is anyway to really know who is the “bad guy” in this relationship. They have probably both done things to each other at some point. I have a close friend who broke up with his partner of many years because his seemingly shy and mild mannered partner was cheating every chance he could get like a sex addict. My friend was so shocked, and I was too, b/c my friend always seemed like the one to have been the cheater! So you can never tell, and the ones that are least likely to seem like the “bad” one are apparently the ones you have to watch out for. People who seem “naughty” to everyone are often at home watching tv at 8pm.
I have to say that Alagna’s flirtation with Fleming right in front of Gheorghiu during the La Rondine HD transmission intermission surprised me. It was almost like he was trying to upset Gheorghiu, and she excused herself. Fleming seemed a bit taken aback and handled it professionally.
I have to say that I think Alagna has been poison to his own career. His walk out during that Aida at La Scala was a big mistake. His attempts at getting his brother hired (and replace Zeffirelli) for the Traviata were ridiculous. Volpe even discusses this in his book. He lost his EMI recording contract. I think in the last few years Gheorghiu has had better gigs than he has, and I think she still has a recording contract. Gelb has given her enough roles at the Met. However, we don’t know how long that will last since she cancelled most of her Carmens (and my impression was that this new production was for her).
The production was probably for both of them but undoubtly the drawing card was her doing Carmen for the first time.
With more time, the production perhaps would have been scrapped altogether until a new star Carmen was available. (Netrebko?)
I’ll venture to guess that her unpredictability may have also had something to do with the cancellation of The Ghosts of Versailles. She would have been the drawing card. An how many thought that she would actually learn the role in English?
Same with Hoffmann. Can’t imagine the Met mounting a new production without the likes of Pape, Netrebko x4 and Villazon. Regardless of how succesful the current cast may be.
The Gheorgius haven’t been married for years. At least in their behavior.
If she has decided to cool down and stay with him because of finances then I applaud her for finally realizing what marriage is all about.
yappy. you get 5 stars for this gorgeous Voyager clip.
Well that clip ain’t mine, but thanks anyway. Soon as I read that line about the next level, a scene of Angela the Alien chanting mysteriously about the next emanation appeared in my mind.
impression that he is a family man given what happened to him and his late wife
Lindoro, what happened? I don’t know the history.
EXACTAMENTE, Javier!!!
Alagna’s first wife Florence died of a brain tumor when his career was just starting to take off. Their baby was about a year old at the time. In interviews, he speaks of being at her bedside when he wasn’t performing. He’s performed songs in her memory at some of his solo appearances.
It has to be exponentially difficult for a married couple to pursue big time opera careers, whether they perform together or not. I hope they resolve their differences and if they can’t reconcile, then end it and be done. Love couples don’t have much a shelf life these days.
Volpe’s book is self-serving. We have only his word that Alagna put any particular pressure on the Met to hire his brother, and I tend to doubt that word because there are no reports that Alagna ever tried to force his family on any other big opera company during that time. (Orphée in Bologna a decade later is a different matter.)
It might also be noted that Zeffirelli was not the director the Alagnas signed on to work with: that was Juergen Flimm, who was fired and paid off late in the game (a stunt Volpe pulled one or twice a season.) Zeffirelli wasn’t announced for this production until only a few weeks before the breakdown in negotiations between Volpe and the Alagnas. (La Cieca happens to know this because on March 5, she broke the story that Zeffirelli was taking over the production. The official announcement of Zeffirelli’s involvement was not made until March 10. Volpe blabbed his side of the story to the New York Times on April 2.)
It may well be that Alagna brought in sketches from his brother; it may also be true that he tried to pitch his brother as a director for the Met (why not?) What I don’t believe is true is that Alagna and Gheorghiu made their participation in the Met’s Traviata hinge upon the hiring of Davide Alagna — even though Volpe has striven mightily to justify his hot-tempered blunder by trying to make people believe that canard is true.
In her long years of following the truths, half-truths and downright lies of the opera business, La Cieca has gradually come to the conclusion that he who is the most eager to tell his story is generally the least credible.
BRAVA.
Thanks, Donna Anna. Was Florence Alagna a singer, too?
I AM curious as to what “the next level” means, in terms of his relationship with Angela. Maybe a Clintonian marriage?
Javier, I agree! LOL It’s sad that marriage is boiled down to finances, but it is the truth! The real reason gays want to marry is to get a lot of the benefits of marriage that have some financial privileges (sharing SS, pension, health insurance, etc). Otherwise, we would simply have commitment ceremonies and not care to get married legally, but there is a financial gain to marriage.
You’re probably right about that! I think we all have our own memory and side of a story that we are involved in, and we are sure it is the truth. They’ve done studies when an accident happens, 20 witnesses remember different things. Volpe could very well have mixed up how things happened or he could even be lying. His book is still interesting to read.
I do feel, however, that Alagna comes off a little bit like a buffoon in interviews. Gheorghiu sometimes seems like she could be a bitch, but overall, she seems like the one who has a better career at this point. That is just my impression. I feel he has not lived up to his hype, but she continues to sing fairly well. Her piano singing is still gorgeous. Of course, she is more limited in repetoire. I don’t really see her as poison to his career. I think it is more the other way around, but who knows?
You are right, yet I have to take offense to this statement. There are many reason why a gay couple might or might not want marriage. Sure the economic part is one of them. Why should i not be entitled to half of what is been built from scratch?
besides that, there is a level of not feeling like a 2nd class citicen and be able to say this is my HUSBAND/WIFE with no shame; because i have a paper that says so and it is the same one you got before you went to your church and asked for that shotgun wedding.
There is also a myriad of other reasons, like having the right to sponsor my husband/wife if (s)he is a foreigner. If my employees can get married to a complete stranger so they can get a green card (and I know of several of them) then why should it be different for any couple regardless of their gender (or love).
There is also the right NOT to testify against my husband should he or I decide to do something stupid. Yes, Maddoff made out with millions and the Mrs. probably knew all along, but she will not be forced to testify and thus we will never know if there was a conspiracy, at least not from their lips.
And before I forget, how about the right to just be treated like the constitution says i should be: with all, ALL rights, privileges and responsibilities that I pay for with my taxes?
As Cieca carissima reminds me all too often: one size does not fit all.
Bravo.
and so, the master’s house has some new occupants.
i wonder who will not be let in next…
What do you mean, rommie?
Lindoro, as someone who has a partner of 17 years I totally agree with everything you say, but I think it is important to point out to people (who are against gay marriage) of all the financial benefits that marriage brings (as well as the ones you bring up, although I think if a spouse does something wrong, the other SHOULD testify against the spouse….If I murder, rape or steal billions from people, my spouse should ethically rat me out, in my opinion, but I am going off on a tangent).
People on the other far side of the fence on this topic get very emotional and think we are stealing their precious religious commitment. So I think they will never budge from that stance, but if we throw up the financial issues that they get and we don’t, that is something that they understand. That is blatantly unfair! Have you heard about the guy who is trying to get a law banning divorce? He is saying that since conservatives want to protect the sanctity of marriage, then let’s ban divorce and keep married people married no matter how much they hate each other! I think that’s hilarious! That might actually be the discussion that gets us gay marriage! LOL People will say, “Whoa! Let’s not get ridiculous about all this! Let gays marry, so we can keep divorce!”
rommie, what do you mean?
this whole argument about gays being second class citizen is so Mattachine-society-we-want-to-assimilate!
so the gays get to marry… and who will be the next to not be allowed to marry?
the whole gay marriage movement is just extending the “can marry-cannot marry” divide and it’s infuriating! where’s the sense of social justice in that? why aren’t we questioning the fudamental flaws and discriminatory principles of the state-run-marriage?? why are we, instead, giving all this money to join this exclusive group??
as silvia rivera said: ARGUE WITH THE HIERARCHY NOT BE THE HIERARCHY.
but then again im glad that people are not crazy enough to think that this institution is anything but a financial agreement.
I see. Well, I disagree, but in the interests of keeping this space more opera-related, I’ll leave it at that.
For me the problem started the day the government allowed religious institution to do a 2-for-the-price-of-1 marriages. If people had to go to the justice of peace before they went to the church, people would realize there are 2 marriage institutions in this country: a secular one run by the state and a religious one run by churches.
The problem is that now, people just say, well you go to the church and get married, thus marriage is a sacred institution… HOW DARE THE FAGGOTS MESS WITH THAT!!!!! If people had to have 2 ceremonies like in other countries we would not have all the bull crap arguments we have to hear.
I’ll stop here, since this is about opera and not gay marriage. Those interested, I have a post with my vies on this issue here and here. The post is basically the same, I am providing both links just in case one is not visible, then the other is.
In short: To pull up all the sanctimonious bullshit about ‘only heteros should be married’. ..just retort “Why should gays tax subsidize their privileged fucking,!”. Gays pay the same taxes, if not more: being single people.
If the heteros ask how ? Answer…schools, maternity hospitals, child allowance endowments, support programs for marrieds, tax rebates for marrieds etc.
Oh fair La Cieca,
Can you ever let go of the Volpe thing? It seems to many that the lady that doth protest too much is you. Besides, it demeans
whatever criticism you do put forth which has great value- in or out of a blog.
Everyone by now knows you had a personal thing there…
Does anyone believe that marriage is state-run and not church run? In today’s USA Today http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=121422326&f=1002&sc=igg2), there is a story about D.C.’s possible passage of a Gay marriage bill, whence this quote:
Susan Gibbs, spokeswoman for the Archdiocese of Washington, says the church wants stronger religious protections in the bill.
“Being gay is not against church teaching, but we do understand marriage in a specific way, and we need to be able to follow that belief,” Gibbs says.
Who told the Catholic Church to change their beliefs? No one. But who has more money than, well, God? The Catholic CHurch, so the lobbyists will be out in full force. Not to mention the fact that even should the City Counsel pass it, it has to be approved by Congress.
I would love to be in a relationship. I would love to get married. But more than anything, I want equal protection under the law and the same rights and freedoms that my straight brethren have. And that’s the point… it’s not about marriage, it’s about freedom.
I don’t normally agree with you Harry, but right now, I cold kiss you.
Is rommie calling me an uppity n****r when he writes “and so, the master’s house has some new occupants”? What do you think, Sanford and others? Because I’ve bothered by it ever since his comment first appeared.
It’s a good thing that this blog is not about how relationships work or not work. And because it’s not, I will mostly ignore this statement.