Giacomo Puccini
Operas Le Villi (1884) Edgar (1889) Manon Lescaut (1893) La bohème (1896) Tosca (1900) Madama Butterfly (1904) La fanciulla del West (1910) La rondine (1917) Il trittico (1918) Il tabarro Suor Angelica Gianni Schicchi Turandot (completed 1926 by Alfano)
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La bohème is an opera in four acts,^{[N 1]} by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa, based on Scènes de la vie de bohème by Henri Murger. ^[1] The world premiere performance of La bohème was in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio^[2] and conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. Since then, La bohème has become part of the standard Italian opera repertory and is the fourth most frequently performed opera worldwide.^[3] In 1946, fifty years after the opera's premiere, Toscanini conducted a performance of it on radio with the NBC Symphony Orchestra. This performance was eventually released on records and on Compact Disc. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera by its original conductor (see Recordings below).

Origin of the story[link]

Mimì's costume for act 1 of La bohème designed by Adolfo Hohenstein for the world premiere

According to its title page, the libretto of La bohème is based on Henri Murger's novel, Scènes de la vie de bohème, a collection of vignettes portraying young bohemians living in the Latin Quarter of Paris in the 1840s. Although usually called a novel, it has no unified plot. Like the 1849 play by Murger and Théodore Barrière, the opera's libretto focuses on the relationship between Rodolfo and Mimì, ending with her death. Also like the play, the libretto combines two characters from the novel, Mimì and Francine, into a single Mimì character.

Rodolfo – costume design by Adolfo Hohenstein for the premiere at Teatro Regio, 1896

Much of the libretto is original. The main plots of acts two and three are the librettists' invention, with only a few passing references to incidents and characters in Murger. Most of acts one and four follow the novel, piecing together episodes from various chapters. The final scenes in acts one and four —the scenes with Rodolfo and Mimì— resemble both the play and the novel. The story of their meeting closely follows chapter 18 of the novel, in which the two lovers living in the garret are not Rodolphe and Mimì at all, but rather Jacques and Francine. The story of Mimì's death in the opera draws from two different chapters in the novel, one relating Francine's death and the other relating Mimì's.^[1]

The published libretto includes a note from the librettists briefly discussing their adaptation. Without mentioning the play directly, they defend their conflation of Francine and Mimì into a single character: "Chi puo non confondere nel delicato profilo di una sola donna quelli di Mimì e di Francine?" ("Who cannot confuse in the delicate profile of one woman the personality both of Mimì and of Francine?") At the time, the novel was in the public domain, Murger having died without heirs, but rights to the play were still controlled by Barrière's heirs.^[4]

Performance history[link]

Initial success[link]

The world première performance of La bohème took place in Turin on 1 February 1896 at the Teatro Regio^[2] and was conducted by the young Arturo Toscanini. The opera quickly became popular throughout Italy and productions were soon mounted by the following companies: The Teatro di San Carlo (14 March 1896, with Elisa Petri as Musetta and Antonio Magini-Coletti as Marcello); The Teatro Comunale di Bologna (4 November 1896, with Amelia Sedelmayer as Musetta and Umberto Beduschi as Rodolfo); The Teatro Costanzi (17 November 1896, with Maria Stuarda Savelli as Mimì, Enrico Giannini-Grifoni as Rodolfo, and Maurizio Bensaude as Marcello); La Scala (15 March 1897, with Angelica Pandolfini as Mimì, Camilla Pasini as Musetta, Fernando De Lucia as Rodolfo, and Edoardo Camera as Marcello); La Fenice (26 December 1897, with Emilia Merolla as Mimì, Maria Martelli as Musetta, Giovanni Apostolu and Franco Mannucci as Rodolfo, and Ferruccio Corradetti as Marcello); Teatro Regio di Parma (29 January 1898, with Solomiya Krushelnytska as Mimì, Lina Cassandro as Musetta, Pietro Ferrari as Rodolfo, and Pietro Giacomello as Marcello); And the Teatro Donizetti di Bergamo (21 August 1898, with Emilia Corsi as Mimì, Annita Barone as Musetta, Giovanni Apostolu as Rodolfo, and Giovanni Roussel as Marcello).^[5]

The first performance of La bohème outside Italy was at the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on 16 June 1896. The opera was given in Alexandria, Lisbon, and Moscow in early 1897. The United Kingdom premiere took place at the Theatre Royal in Manchester, on 22 April 1897, in a presentation by the Carl Rosa Opera Company supervised by Puccini.^[6] This performance was given in English and starred Alice Esty as Mimì, Bessie McDonald as Musetta, Robert Cunningham as Rodolfo, and William Paull as Marcello.^[6] On 2 October 1897 the same company gave the opera's first staging at the Royal Opera House in London and on 14 October 1897 in Los Angeles for the opera's United States premiere. The opera reached New York City on 16 May 1898 when it was performed at Palmo's Opera House with Giuseppe Agostini as Rodolfo. The first production of the opera actually produced by the Royal Opera House itself premiered on 1 July 1899 with Nellie Melba as Mimì, Zélie de Lussan as Musetta, Fernando De Lucia as Rodolfo, and Mario Ancona as Marcello.^[5]

La bohème premiered in Germany at the Kroll Opera House in Berlin on 22 June 1897. The French premiere of the opera was presented by the Opéra-Comique on 13 June 1898 at the Théâtre des Nations. The production used a French translation by Paul Ferrier and starred Julia Guiraudon as Mimì, Jeanne Tiphaine as Musetta, Adolphe Maréchal as Rodolfo, and Lucien Fugère as Marcello.^[5] The Czech premiere of the opera was presented by the National Theatre on 27 February 1898.

20th century[link]

La bohème continued to gain international popularity throughout the early 20th century and the Opéra-Comique alone had already presented the opera one hundred times by 1903. The Belgian premiere took place at La Monnaie on 25 October 1900 using Ferrier's French translation with Marie Thiérry as Mimì, Léon David as Rodolfo, Eugène-Charles Badiali as Marcello, sets by Pierre Devis, Armand Lynen, and Albert Dubosq, and Philippe Flon conducting. The Metropolitan Opera staged the work for the first time on 26 December 1900 with Nellie Melba as Mimì, Annita Occhiolini-Rizzini as Musetta, Albert Saléza as Rodolfo, Giuseppe Campanari as Marcello, and Luigi Mancinelli conducting.^[5]

The opera was first presented in Brazil at the Teatro Amazonas in Manaus on 2 July 1901 with Elvira Miotti as Mimì, Mabel Nelma as Musetta, Michele Sigaldi as Rodolfo, and Enrico De Franceschi as Marcello. Other premieres soon followed:

• Melbourne: 13 July 1901 (Her Majesty's Theatre; first performance in Australia)^[7]
• Monaco: 1 February 1902, Opéra de Monte-Carlo in Monte Carlo with Nellie Melba as Mimì, Enrico Caruso as Rodolfo, Alexis Boyer as Marcello, and Léon Jehin conducting.^[5]
• Prato: 25 December 1902, Regio Teatro Metastasio with Ulderica Persichini as Mimì, Norma Sella as Musetta, Ariodante Quarti as Rodolfo, and Amleto Pollastri as Marcello.^[5]
• Catania: 9 July 1903, Politeama Pacini with Isabella Costa Orbellini as Mimì, Lina Gismondi as Musetta, Elvino Ventura as Rodolfo, and Alfredo Costa as Marcello.^[5]
• Austria: 25 November 1903, Vienna State Opera in Vienna with Selma Kurz as Mimì, Marie Gutheil-Schoder as Musetta, Fritz Schrödter as Rodolfo, Gerhard Stehmann as Marcello, and Gustav Mahler conducting.^[5]
• Sweden: 19 May 1905, Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, presented by the Royal Swedish Opera with Maria Labia as Mimì.^[5]

Roles[link]

Act 2 costume design for "la rappezzatrice" (the clothes mender) for the world premiere performance.

Synopsis[link]

The story is set in Paris in the period around 1830.^[8]

Rodolfo's garret – set design for act 1 of La bohème for the world premiere performance.

Act 1[link]

In the four bohemians' garret

Marcello is painting while Rodolfo gazes out of the window. In order to keep warm, they burn the manuscript of Rodolfo's drama. Colline, the philosopher, enters shivering and disgruntled at not having been able to pawn some books. Schaunard, the musician of the group, arrives with food, firewood, wine, cigars, and money, and he explains the source of his riches, a job with an eccentric English gentleman. The others hardly listen to his tale as they fall ravenously upon the food. Schaunard interrupts them by whisking the meal away and declaring that they will all celebrate his good fortune by dining at Cafe Momus instead.

While they drink, Benoît, the landlord, arrives to collect the rent. They flatter him and ply him with wine. In his drunkenness, he recites his amorous adventures, but when he also declares he is married, they thrust him from the room —without the rent payment— in comic moral indignation. The rent money is divided for their carousal in the Quartier Latin.

	"Sì, mi chiamano Mimì" Claudia Muzio "O soave fanciulla" Enrico Caruso and Nellie Melba
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The other Bohemians go out, but Rodolfo remains alone for a moment in order to finish an article he is writing, promising to join his friends soon. There is a knock at the door, and Mimì, a seamstress who lives in another room in the building, enters. Her candle has blown out, and she has no matches; she asks Rodolfo to light it. She thanks him, but returns a few seconds later, saying she has lost her key. Both candles are extinguished; the pair stumble in the dark. Rodolfo, eager to spend time with Mimì, finds the key and pockets it, feigning innocence. In two arias (Rodolfo's Che gelida manina – "What a cold little hand" and Mimì's Sì, mi chiamano Mimì – "Yes, they call me Mimì"), they tell each other about their different backgrounds. Impatiently, the waiting friends call Rodolfo, but, while he suggests remaining at home with Mimì, she decides to accompany him. As they leave, they sing of their newfound love (duet, Rodolfo and Mimì: O soave fanciulla – "Oh gentle maiden").

Act 2[link]

Quartier Latin

Prop designs for act 2 of La bohème for the world premiere performance

A great crowd, along with children, has gathered with street sellers announcing their wares (chorus: Aranci, datteri! Caldi i marroni! – "Oranges, dates! Hot chestnuts!"). The friends appear, flushed with gaiety; Rodolfo buys Mimì a bonnet from a vendor. Parisians gossip with friends and bargain with the vendors; the children of the streets clamor to see the wares of Parpignol, the toy seller. The friends enter the Cafe Momus.

As the men and Mimì dine at the cafe, Musetta, formerly Marcello's sweetheart, arrives with her rich (and aging) government minister admirer, Alcindoro, to whom she speaks as she might to a lapdog. It is clear she has tired of him. To the delight of the Parisians and the embarrassment of her patron, she sings a risqué song (Musetta's waltz: Quando me'n vo' – "When I go along"), hoping to reclaim Marcello's attention. Soon Marcello is burning with jealousy. To be rid of Alcindoro for a bit, Musetta pretends to be suffering from a tight shoe and sends him with it to the shoemaker to be fixed. During the melee that follows, Musetta and Marcello fall into each other's arms and reconcile.

The friends are presented with the bill and to their consternation find that Schaunard's money is not enough to pay it. The sly Musetta has the entire bill charged to Alcindoro. The sound of approaching soldiers is heard, and, picking up Musetta, Marcello and Colline carry her out on their shoulders amid the applause of the spectators. When all have gone, Alcindoro arrives with the repaired shoe seeking Musetta. The waiter hands him the bill, and, horror-stricken at the charge, Alcindoro sinks into a chair.

Act 3[link]

At the toll gate

Peddlers pass through the barriers and enter the city. Amongst them is Mimì, coughing violently. She tries to find Marcello, who lives in a little tavern nearby where he paints signs for the innkeeper. She tells him of her hard life with Rodolfo, who has abandoned her that night (O buon Marcello, aiuto! – "Oh, good Marcello, help me!"). Marcello tells her that Rodolfo is asleep inside, but he wakes up and comes out looking for Marcello. Mimì hides and overhears Rodolfo first telling Marcello that he left Mimì because of her coquettishness, but finally confessing that he fears she is slowly being consumed by a deadly illness (most likely tuberculosis, known by the catchall name "consumption" in the nineteenth century). Rodolfo, in his poverty, can do little to help Mimì and hopes that his pretended unkindness will inspire her to seek another, wealthier suitor (Marcello, finalmente – "Marcello, finally"). Out of kindness towards Mimì, Marcello tries to silence him, but she has already heard all. Her coughing reveals her presence, and Rodolfo and Mimì sing of their lost love. They make plans to separate amicably (Mimì: Donde lieta uscì – "From here she happily left"), but their love for one another is too strong. As a compromise, they agree to remain together until the spring, when the world is coming to life again and no one feels truly alone. Meanwhile, Marcello has joined Musetta, and the couple quarrel fiercely: an antithetical counterpoint to the other pair's reconciliation (quartet: Mimì, Rodolfo, Musetta, Marcello: Addio dolce svegliare alla mattina! – "Goodbye, sweet awakening in the morning!").

Act 4[link]

Back in the garret

	"O Mimì, tu più non torni" Enrico Caruso and Antonio Scotti (1907 recording) "Vecchia zimarra" Feodor Chaliapin
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Marcello and Rodolfo are seemingly at work, though they are primarily bemoaning the loss of their respective loves (duet: O Mimì, tu più non torni – "O Mimì, will you not return?"). Schaunard and Colline arrive with a very frugal dinner and all parody eating a plentiful banquet, dance together, and sing. Musetta arrives with news: Mimì, who took up with a wealthy viscount after leaving Rodolfo in the spring, has left her patron. Musetta has found her wandering the streets, severely weakened by her illness, and has brought her back to the garret. Mimì, haggard and pale, is assisted into a chair. Musetta and Marcello leave to sell Musetta's earrings in order to buy medicine, and Colline leaves to pawn his overcoat (Vecchia zimarra – "Old coat"). Schaunard, urged by Colline, quietly departs to give Mimì and Rodolfo time together. Left alone, they recall their past happiness (duet, Mimì and Rodolfo: Sono andati? – "Have they gone?"). They relive their first meeting —the candles, the lost key— and, to Mimì's delight, Rodolfo presents her with the pink bonnet he bought her, which he has kept as a souvenir of their love. The others return, with a gift of a muff to warm Mimì's hands and some medicine. They tell Rodolfo that a doctor has been summoned, but Mimì lapses into unconsciousness. As Musetta prays, Mimì dies. Schaunard discovers Mimì lifeless. Rodolfo cries Mimì's name in anguish, and weeps helplessly.

Instrumentation[link]

La bohème is scored for:

• woodwind: 2 flutes, piccolo, 2 oboes, cor anglais, 2 clarinets in A and B flat, bass clarinet in A and B flat, 2 bassoons
• brass: 4 horns in F, 3 trumpets in F, 3 trombones, bass trombone
• percussion: timpani, snare drum, triangle, cymbals, bass drum, xylophone, glockenspiel, chimes
• strings: harp, violins I, II, viola, cello, double bass

Recording history[link]

Original 1896 La bohème poster by Adolfo Hohenstein

The discography of La bohème is a long one with many distinguished recordings, including the 1972 Decca recording conducted by Herbert von Karajan with Luciano Pavarotti as Rodolfo and Mirella Freni as Mimi (made before Pavarotti became an international superstar of opera), and the 1973 RCA Victor conducted by Sir Georg Solti with Montserrat Caballé as Mimì and Plácido Domingo as Rodolfo which won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording. The earliest commercially released full-length recording was probably that recorded in February 1917 and released on the Italian label La Voce del Padrone.^[9] Carlo Sabajno conducted the La Scala Orchestra and Chorus with Gemma Bosini and Remo Andreini as Mimì and Rodolfo. One of the most recent is the 2008 Deutsche Grammophon release conducted by Bertrand de Billy with Anna Netrebko and Rolando Villazón as Mimì and Rodolfo.

There are several recordings with conductors closely associated with Puccini. In the 1946 RCA Victor release, Arturo Toscanini, who conducted the world premiere of the opera, conducts the NBC Symphony Orchestra with Jan Peerce as Rodolfo and Licia Albanese as Mimì. It is the only recording of a Puccini opera by its original conductor. Thomas Beecham, who worked closely with Puccini when preparing a 1920 production of La bohème in London,^[10] conducted a performance of the opera in English released by Columbia Records in 1936 with Lisa Perli as Mimì and Heddle Nash as Rodolfo. Beecham also conducts on the 1956 RCA Victor recording with Victoria de los Ángeles and Jussi Björling as Mimì and as Rodolfo.

Although the vast majority of recordings are in the original Italian, the opera has been recorded in several other languages. These include: a recording in French conducted by Erasmo Ghiglia with Renée Doria and Alain Vanzo as Mimì and Rodolfo (1960);^[11] a recording in German with Richard Kraus conducting the Deutsche Oper Berlin Orchestra and Chorus with Trude Eipperle and Fritz Wunderlich as Mimì and Rodolfo (1956); and the 1998 release on the Chandos Opera in English label with David Parry conducting the Philharmonia Orchestra and Cynthia Haymon and Dennis O'Neill as Mimì and Rodolfo.

Enrico Caruso, who was closely associated with the role of Rodolfo, never recorded a full version of the opera but recorded several extracts beginning with one on cylinder in 1906. Rodolfo's famous aria "Che gelida manina" was recorded not only by Caruso but by nearly 500 other tenors in at least seven different languages between 1900 and 1980.^[12] In 1981 the A.N.N.A. Record Company released a six LP set with 101 different tenors singing the aria.

The missing act[link]

In 1957 Illica’s widow died and his papers were given to the Parma Museum. Among them was the full libretto to La bohème. It was discovered that the librettists had prepared an act which Puccini decided not to use in his composition.^[13] It is noteworthy for explaining Rodolfo’s jealous remarks to Marcello in act 3.

The "missing act" is located in the timeline between the Café Momus scene and act 3 and describes an open-air party at Musetta's dwelling. Her protector has refused to pay further rent out of jealous feelings, and Musetta's furniture is moved into the courtyard to be auctioned off the following morning. The four Bohemians find in this an excuse for a party and arrange for wine and an orchestra. Musetta gives Mimì a beautiful gown to wear and introduces her to a Viscount. The pair dances a quadrille in the courtyard, which moves Rodolfo to jealousy. This explains his act 3 reference to the "moscardino di Viscontino" (young fop of a Viscount). As dawn approaches, furniture dealers gradually remove pieces for the morning auction.

Derivative works[link]

In 1959 "Musetta's Waltz" was adapted by songwriter Bobby Worth for the 1959 pop song "Don't You Know?", a hit for Della Reese.^[14] The opera was also adapted into a 1983 short story form by the novelist V. S. Pritchett for publication by the Metropolitan Opera Association.^[15] La Bohème: Una piccola storia sull'immortalità dell'amore e dell'amicizia by Carollina Fabinger is an illustrated version in Italian for young readers published by Nuages, Milano 2009, ISBN 978-88-86178-89-1.

Modernizations[link]

Stage design for act 1 of La bohème, Reginald Gray, 2010

Baz Luhrmann produced the opera for Opera Australia in 1990^[16] with modernized supertitle translations, and a budget of only A$60,000. A DVD was issued of the stage show. This version was set in 1957, rather than the original period of 1830.^[16] The reason for updating La bohème to this period, according to Baz Luhrmann, was that "... [they] discovered that 1957 was a very, very accurate match for the social and economic realities of Paris in the 1840s."^[16] In 2002, Luhrmann restaged his version on Broadway and won a Tony Award.^[17] To play the eight performances per week on Broadway, three casts of Mimìs and Rodolfos, and two Musettas and Marcellos, were used in rotation.^[18]

Rent, a 1996 musical by Jonathan Larson, is based on La bohème. Here the lovers, Roger and Mimi, are faced with AIDS and progress through the action with songs such as "Light My Candle", which have direct reference to La bohème.^[19] Many of the character names are retained or are similar (e.g. the character Angel is given the surname "Schunard"), and at another point in the play, Roger's roommate and best friend Mark makes a wry reference to "Musetta's Waltz", which is a recurring theme throughout the first act and is played at the end of the second act.

Robin Norton-Hale directed a new production produced by Adam Spreadbury-Maher at The Cock Tavern Theatre for OperaUpClose in December 2009^[20]. Originally planned for a 6-week season, it was extended for 5-months. The production was set in present day North London in the Kilburn area, described as one "of pound shops and betting shops, casual labour and cheap sublets. A nice verismo touch, this – it also has the highest rate of tuberculosis infection in Greater London.”^[21]. In 2010 it transferred to the West End's Soho Theatre for two sell-out seasons and won a Laurence Olivier Award^[22][23].

References[link]

Annotations

1. ^ Puccini called the divisions quadro, a tableau or "image", rather than atto (act).

Notes

Sources

• Budden, Julian, Puccini: His Life and Works, Oxford University Press, 2002 ISBN 978-0-19-816468-5
• Groos, Arthur & Roger Parker, Cambridge Opera Handbooks: "La bohème" , Cambridge University Press, 1986 ISBN 0-521-26489-8
• Irvin, Eric, Dictionary of the Australian Theatre 1788–1914, pub info? ISBN?
• Melnitz, Leo, The Opera Goer's Complete Guide (1921 version) ISBN ??</ref>
• Pritchett, V.S., La bohème, London: Michael Joseph, 1983 ISBN 0-7181-2303-4

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: La bohème

• La bohème: Free scores at the International Music Score Library Project
• Upcoming performances from Operabase.com
• Recording of "Mi chimano Mimì" in German by Lotte Lehmann in MP3 format
• San Diego OperaTalk! with Nick Reveles: La bohème
• Libretto (in Italian) from OperaGlass
• (German) La bohème

Charles Aznavour
Aznavour at the 1999 Cannes Film Festival
Background information
Birth name	Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian
Born	(1924-05-22) May 22, 1924 (age 88)
Origin	Paris, France
Genres	Pop Chanson Jazz
Occupations	Singer-songwriter, actor, public activist, diplomat
Years active	1936–present
Labels	EMI MusArm Records
Associated acts	Claude Lombard Katia Aznavour
Website	www.c-aznavour.com

Charles Aznavour, OC (born Shahnour Vaghenag Aznavourian; Armenian: Շահնուր Վաղինակ Ազնավուրեան; Shahnour Vaghinak Aznavurian;^[1] May 22, 1924) is an Armenian-French singer, songwriter, actor, public activist and diplomat. Besides being one of France's most popular and enduring singers, he is also one of the best-known singers in the world. Charles Aznavour (pronounced in French as Sharl Aznavoor) is known for his unique tenor^[2] voice: clear and ringing in its upper reaches, with gravelly and profound low notes. He has appeared in more than sixty movies, composed about a thousand songs (including 150 at least in English, 100 in Italian, 70 in Spanish, and 50 in German^[3]), and sold well over 100 million records.^[4]

In 1998, Charles Aznavour was named Entertainer of the Century by CNN and users of Time Online from around the globe. He was recognized as the century's outstanding performer, with nearly 18% of the total vote, edging out Elvis Presley and Bob Dylan.^[5] He has sung for presidents, popes, and royalty, as well as at humanitarian events, and is the founder of the charitable organization Aznavour for Armenia along with his long-time friend impresario Levon Sayan.

In 2009 he was appointed ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland, as well as Armenia's permanent delegate to the United Nations at Geneva.^[6] He started his new Aznavour en Toute Intimité tour in 2011.

Life and career[link]

Background[link]

Aznavour was born as Shahnour Vaghenagi Aznavourian in Paris the son of Armenian immigrants Michael Aznavourian (an Armenian^[7][8] from Akhaltsikhe,Georgia) and Knar Baghdasarian (from Izmir, Turkey), ^[9] who survived the Armenian Genocide.^[10] His father spent his youth in Tbilisi Georgia, where his family had moved for work (Charles's grandfather was a personal chef to the Governor General of Tbilisi).^[11] Later, after moving to France, Michael Aznavourian sang in restaurants before establishing his own Caucasian restaurant called Le Caucase. Missak Manouchian, a leader of French Resistance who was executed by the Nazis in 1944, had been a frequent guest at the Aznavourian's home, and Aznavourians had supported Misak and his wife Meliné when they were in hiding. Together with his wife, who was an actress, Michael introduced Charles to the world of theatre at an early age. Charles dropped out of school at the age of nine, already aspiring to the life of an artist. He began to perform at this time, and soon took the stage name "Aznavour". His big break came in 1946 when the singer Édith Piaf heard him sing and arranged to take him with her on tour in France and to the United States.^[12]

Music[link]

Often described as "France's Frank Sinatra ", Aznavour sings frequently about love. He has written musicals and about a thousand songs, and made more than one hundred records. Aznavour's voice is shaded towards the tenor range, but possesses the low range and coloration more typical of a baritone, contributing to his unique sound. Aznavour speaks and sings in many languages (French, English, Italian, Spanish, German, Russian, Armenian, Portuguese, Neapolitan), which has helped him perform at Carnegie Hall and other major venues around the world. He also recorded at least one song from the 18th century Armenian poet Sayat Nova, and a popular song, Im Yare^[13] in Armenian. Que C'est Triste Venise, sung in French, Italian (Com'è Triste Venezia), Spanish (Venecia Sin Ti), English (How Sad Venice Can Be), and German (Venedig in Grau), is one of Aznavour's most famous multilingual songs.

In 1974 Aznavour became a major success in the United Kingdom where his song "She" went to Number One in the charts. His other well-known song in the UK was "Dance in the Old Fashioned Way".

Artists who have recorded his songs and collaborated with Aznavour include Édith Piaf, Fred Astaire, Frank Sinatra (Aznavour was one of the rare European singers invited to duet with him^[14]), Andrea Bocelli, Bing Crosby, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan (he named Aznavour among the greatest live performers he's ever seen),^[15][16] Liza Minnelli, Elton John, Dalida, Serge Gainsbourg, Josh Groban, Petula Clark, Shirley Bassey, José Carreras, Laura Pausini, Nana Mouskouri and Julio Iglesias. Fellow French pop legend Mireille Mathieu has sung and recorded with Aznavour on numerous occasions. In 1974, Jack Jones recorded an entire album of Aznavour compositions entitled "Write Me A Love Song, Charlie", re-released on CD in 2006.^[17] Aznavour and Italian tenor Luciano Pavarotti sang Gounod's aria Ave Maria together. He performed with famed Russian cellist and friend Mstislav Rostropovich to inaugurate the French presidency of the European Union in 1995. Elvis Costello recorded "She" for the film Notting Hill. One of Aznavour's greatest friends and collaborators from the music industry is legendary Spanish operatic tenor Plácido Domingo, who often performs his hits, most notably a solo studio recording of "Les bateaux sont partis" in 1985 and duet versions of the song in French and Spanish in 2008, as well as multiple live renditions Aznavour's "Ave Maria". In 1994, Aznavour performed with Domingo and Norwegian soprano Sissel Kyrkjebø at Domingo's third annual Christmas in Vienna concert. The three singers performed a variety of carols, medleys, and duets, and the concert was televised throughout the world, as well as released on a CD internationally.^[18]

At the start of autumn in 2006, Aznavour initiated his farewell tour, performing in the US and Canada, and earning very positive reviews. Aznavour started 2007 with concerts all over Japan and Asia. The second half of 2007 saw Aznavour return to Paris for over 20 shows at the Palais des Congrès in Paris, followed by more touring in Belgium, the Netherlands, and the rest of France. He has repeatedly stated that this farewell tour, health permitting, will likely last beyond 2010. At 87, Aznavour is in excellent health, although admittedly 60 years on stage have made him "a little hard of hearing".^[19] He still sings in multiple languages and without persistent use of teleprompters, but typically sticks to just two or three (French and English being the primary two, with Spanish or Italian being the third) during most concerts.^[20] On 30 September 2006, Aznavour performed a major concert in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia to start off the cultural season "Arménie mon amie" in France. Armenian president Robert Kocharyan and French president Jacques Chirac, at the time on an official visit to Armenia, were in front-row attendance.^[21]

Charles Aznavour in concert (1988).

In 2006, 82-year-old Aznavour traveled to Cuba, where he, together with Chucho Valdés, recorded his new album Colore Ma Vie, presented at Aznavour's Moscow concert in April 2007. Later, in July 2007, Aznavour was invited to perform at the Vieilles Charrues Festival.

"Forever Cool" (2007), an album from Capitol/EMI, features Aznavour singing a new duet of "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime" with the voice of the late Dean Martin.

Aznavour finished a tour of Portugal in February 2008. On 18 January 2008 he participated as guest vocalist with the contestants of the French reality show Star Academy and sang his famous Emmenez-Moi with contestant Jérémy Chapron. Throughout the spring of 2008, Aznavour toured South America, holding a multitude of concerts in Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Uruguay. Summer saw him in Quebec, and a return to Latin America followed in autumn.

In 2008 an album of duets, Duos, was released. It is a collaborative effort featuring Aznavour and his greatest friends and partners from his long career in the music industry, including Céline Dion, Sting, Laura Pausini, Josh Groban, Paul Anka, Plácido Domingo, and many others.^[22] It was released on various dates in December 2008 across the world.^[23] His next album, Charles Aznavour and The Clayton Hamilton Jazz Orchestra (previously known as Jazznavour 2), is a continuation in the same vein as his hit album Jazznavour released in 1998, involving new arrangements on his classic songs with a jazz orchestra and other guest jazz artists. It was released on November 30, 2009.^[24]

In 2009 Aznavour also toured across America. The tour, named Aznavour en liberté,^[25] started in late April 2009 with a wave of concerts across the United States and Canada, took him across Latin America in the autumn, as well as the USA once again. In August 2011 Aznavour released a new album, Aznavour Toujours, featuring 11 new songs, and Elle, a French re-working of his greatest international hit, She. Following the release of Aznavour Toujours, 87-years old Aznavour began a tour across France and Europe, named Charles Aznavour en Toute Intimité, which started with 21 concerts in the "Olympia" theatre in Paris.^[26] On December 12, 2011 he gave a concert in Moscow State Kremlin Palace that attracted a capacity crowd.^[27] The concert was followed by standing ovation which continued for about 15 minutes.^[28]

In 2012, Aznavour embarks on a new North American leg of his "En toute intimité" tour, visiting Québec, New York and the Gibson Amphitheatre, the third-largest such venue in California, for multiple shows.

Film[link]

Aznavour has had a long and varied parallel career as an actor, appearing in over 60 films. In 1960 Aznavour starred in François Truffaut's Tirez sur le pianiste, playing a character called Édouard Saroyan. He also put in a critically acclaimed performance in the 1974 movie And Then There Were None. Aznavour had an important supporting role in 1979's The Tin Drum, winner of the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1980. Aznavour starred in the 2002 movie Ararat playing Edward Saroyan, a movie director.

Armenia and abroad[link]

Since the 1988 earthquake in Armenia, Aznavour has been helping the country through his charity, Aznavour for Armenia. Together with his brother in-law and co-author Georges Garvarentz he wrote the song "Pour toi Arménie", which was performed by a group of famous French artists and topped the charts for 18 weeks. There is a square named after him in central Yerevan on Abovian Street, and a statue erected in Gyumri, which saw the most lives lost in the earthquake. In 1995 Charles Aznavour was appointed an Ambassador and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO. Aznavour is a member of the Armenia Fund International Board of Trustees. The organization has rendered more than $150 million in humanitarian aid and infrastructure development assistance to Armenia since 1992. Charles Aznavour was appointed as "Officier" (Officer) of the Légion d'honneur in 1997.

In 2004 Aznavour received the title of "National Hero of Armenia" for his humanitarian work, Armenia's highest award. On December 26, 2008, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan signed a presidential decree for granting citizenship for the Republic of Armenia to Charles Aznavour whom he called a "prominent singer and public figure" and "a hero of the Armenian people".^[29]

An admirer of Quebec, where he played in Montreal cabarets before becoming famous, he has helped the career of Québécoise singer-songwriter Lynda Lemay in France, and has a house in Montreal. On 5 July 2008, he was invested as an honorary officer of the Order of Canada and performed the following day on the Plains of Abraham as a feature of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City.^[30]

Aznavour and famed Senegalese singer Youssou N'Dour, with the collaboration of over 40 of France's most celebrated singers and musicians, recorded a music video band aid (clip) in the aftermath of the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake, titled "1 geste pour Haïti chérie".^[31]

Personal life and cultural impact[link]

Charles Aznavour, a photo by Xavier Thomas.

Aznavour married his third wife, Swede Ulla Thorsell, in 1968. He has 5 children - Seda, Katia, Misha, Nicolas and Patrick. In 1990 he offered insights into his life to writer-director Michael Feeney Callan in his series My Riviera, which was filmed at and around Aznavour's home in Port Grimaud, in the South of France. He currently resides in Geneva, Switzerland.^[32]

His musicality and fame abroad is present in many other areas of pop culture. Aznavour's name was used as the basis for the name of the character Char Aznable by Yoshiyuki Tomino in his anime mecha series, Mobile Suit Gundam. His song "Parce Que Tu Crois" was sampled by Hip Hop producer Dr. Dre for the song "What's the Difference" (feat. Eminem & Xzibit), from his album 2001.^[33] He is mentioned in The Psychedelic Furs song "Sister Europe" ("The radio upon the floor/ is stupid, it plays Aznavour").

He has often joked about his physicality, the most infamous feature of which is his limited height; he stands only 160 cm (5 ft 3 in) tall, and Aznavour has made this a source of self-deprecating humour over the years.

Politics[link]

Charles Aznavour has been increasingly involved in French, Armenian, and international politics as his career has progressed. During the 2002 French presidential elections, when radical right-wing nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen of the National Front made it into the runoff election, facing incumbent Jacques Chirac, Aznavour signed the "Vive la France" petition, and called on all French to "sing the Marseillaise" in protest.^[34] Chirac, a personal friend of Aznavour's, ended up winning in a landslide, carrying over 82% of the vote.

He has written a song about the Armenian Genocide, titled Ils sont tombés (known in English as "They fell").

He has also campaigned fervently for international copyright law reform. In November 2005 he met with President of the European Commission José Manuel Barroso^[35] on the issue of the review of term of protection for performers and producers in the EU, advocating an extension of the EU's term of protection from the current 50 years to the United States' law allowing 95 years, saying "[o]n term of protection, artists and record companies are of the same mind. Extension of term of protection would be good for European culture, positive for the European economy and would put an end the current discrimination with the U.S." He has also notably butted heads with French politician Christine Boutin over her defense of a "global license" flat-fee authorization for sharing of copyrighted files over the Internet, claiming that the license would eliminate creativity. In May 2009 the French Senate approved one of the strictest internet anti-piracy bills ever with a landslide 189-14 vote. Aznavour was a vocal proponent of the measure and considered it a rousing victory:

"If the youth can't make a living through creative work, they will do something else and the artistic world will be dealt a blow... There will be no more songs, no more books, nothing at all. So we had to fight..."^[36]

Along with holding the mostly ceremonial title of French ambassador-at-large to Armenia, Aznavour agreed to hold the position of Ambassador of Armenia to Switzerland on February 12, 2009:

"First I hesitated, as it is not an easy task. Then I thought that what is important for Armenia is important for us. I have accepted the proposal with love, happiness and feeling of deep dignity"^[37]

Awards and recognition[link]

• 1963, 1971 and 1980 - Edison Awards (three-time awardwinner)^[38]
• 1971 - Golden Lion Honorary Award at the Venice Film Festival for the Italian version of the song Mourir d'aimer
• 1995 - Large Medal of the French Academy
• 1995 - Ambassador of Goodwill and Permanent Delegate of Armenia to UNESCO^[39]
• 1996 - Induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• 1997 - French Victoire award for Male artist of the year
• 1997 - Honorary César Award
• 1997 - Officier (Officer) of the Legion d'honneur
• 2004 - National Hero of Armenia^[40]
• 2006 - Honorary prize at 30th Cairo Film Festival
• 2008 - Honorary Officer of the Order of Canada^[41]
• 2008 - Citizenship of the Republic of Armenia
• 2009 - MIDEM Lifetime Achievement Award^[42]
• 2009 - Grigor Lusavorich award of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic^[43]
• 2009 - Officer of the National Order of Quebec^[44]
• 2010 - Honorary order "For outstanding contribution to strengthening cultural ties between Russia and France"^[45]

Discography[link]

Filmography[link]

Actor[link]

• La Guerre des gosses (1936) – Extra
• Adieu chérie (1946) (as Aznavour) – Le duettiste
• Entrez dans la danse (1948)
• Une gosse sensass' (1957) – Le chanteur
• Paris Music Hall (1957) – Charles
• La Tête contre les murs (1959) – Heurtevent
• Les Dragueurs (1959) – Joseph Bouvier
• Pourquoi viens-tu si tard? (1959) – Un danseur
• Oh! Qué mambo (1959) (uncredited) – Un spectateur au cabaret
• Le Testament d'Orphée (1960) (uncredited) – The Curious Man
• Un taxi pour Tobrouk (1960) – Samuel Goldmann
• Tomorrow Is My Turn (Le Passage du Rhin) (1960) – Roger
• Tirez sur le pianiste (1960) – Charlie Kohler/Édouard Saroyan
• Gosse de Paris (1961)
• Les Lions sont lâchés (1961) – Charles, un convive de Marie-Laure
• Esame di guida - tempo di Roma (1962) – Marcello
• Horace 62 (1962) – Horace Fabiani
• Le Diable et les dix commandements (1962) – Denis Mayeux (episode "Homicide point ne seras")
• Les Quatre vérités (1962) – Charles
• Les Vierges (1963) – Berthet
• Cherchez l'Idole (1963) – Aznavour
• Le Rat d'Amérique (1963) – Charles
• Thomas l'imposteur (1964)
• Alta infedeltà (1964) – Giulio (segment "Peccato nel Pomeriggio")
• La Métamorphose des cloportes (1965) – Edmond
• Le Facteur s'en va-t-en guerre (1966) – Thibon
• Paris au mois d'août (1966) – Henri Plantin
• Caroline chérie (1968) – Postillon
• Candy (1968) – Hunchback juggler
• Le Temps des loups (1969) – Inspector
• The Adventurers (1970) – Marcel Campion
• L'Amour (1970) – Le présentateur
• The Games (1970) – Pavel Vendek
• The Selfish Giant (1971) – Narrator (French version)
• Un beau monstre (1971) – Inspector Leroy
• Part des lions (1971) – Éric Chambon
• Les Intrus (1972) – Charles Bernard
• The Blockhouse (1973) – Visconti
• Dix Petits Negres (1974) Dir Peter Colinson, Produit par Gerard Thum
• Ein Unbekannter rechnet ab (1974) – Michel Raven
• Sky Riders (1976) – Insp. Nikolidis
• Folies bourgeoises (1976) – Dr. Lartigue
• Die Blechtrommel (1979) – Sigismund Markus
• Ciao, les mecs (1979) – L'amnésique
• Der Zauberberg (1982) – Naphta
• Qu'est-ce qui fait courir David? (1982) – Léon, le père de David
• Les Fantômes du chapelier (1982) – Kachoudas
• Une jeunesse (1983) – Bellun
• Viva la vie! (1984) – Édouard Takvorian
• Yiddish Connection (1986) – Aaron Rapoport
• Mangeclous (1988) – Jérémie
• Il Maestro (1989) – Romualdi
• Le chinois (1989) – Charles Cotrel
• Charles Aznavour Armenia 1989 (1989)
• Les Années campagne (1992) – Le grand-père/Grandfather
• Pondichéry, dernier comptoir des Indes (1997) – Léo Bauman
• Le Comédien (1997) – Monsieur Maillard
• Laguna (2001)
• Truth About Charlie (2002) – Himself
• Ararat (2002) – Edward Saroyan
• Le Père Goriot (2004) – Jean-Joachim Goriot
• Ennemis publics (2005)
• The Colonel (2006) – Père Rossi
• Up (2009) – Carl Fredricksen (French Voice)

Concerts[link]

Video[link]

• 1977 Großer Unterhaltungsabend – Charles Aznavour (Essen, Germany 1977). VHS Nikkatsu Video Films Co., Ltd./Japan
• 1982 An Evening with Charles Aznavour (Duke of York's Theatre, London 1982). VIP Videocasette Diffusion, VHS SECAM MU 550

Laserdisc[link]

• 1982 An Evening with Charles Aznavour (Duke of York's Theatre, London 1982) [content differs from the video version]

DVD[link]

• 1999 Aznavour Live - Palais des Congrès 97/98 (EMI)
• 2001 Aznavour Live - Olympia 68/72/78/80 (EMI)
• 2001 Charles Aznavour au Carnegie Hall (New York, June 1996) (EMI)
• 2001 AZNAVOUR – Pour toi Arménie (At Erevan Opera, September 1996)
• 2002 Patrick Bruel – Entre-Deux (C. Aznavour sings Parlez-moi d'amour [with Patrick Bruel])
• 2003 AZNAVOUR LIVE – Palais des Congrès 1994 (EMI)
• 2004 Aznavour – Minelli au Palais des Congrès de Paris (EMI)
• 2004 Toronto 1980 (as a Bonus to the Aznavour/Indispensables CD Boxset) (EMI)
• 2004 80, Bon Anniversaire Charles – Palais des congrès 2004 (EMI)
• 2004 Bon anniversaire Charles! (TV broadcast concert for Charles Aznavour 80th anniversary, May 22, 2004) (EMI)
• 2005 Charles Aznavour 2000 – Concert intégral (EMI)
• 2006 The Royal Opera – Die Fledermaus (Covent Garden, London 31-12-1983) (C. Aznavour sings She)
• 2007 Charles Aznavour : En concert à Erevan (EMI)
• 2007 Aznavour - Palais des Congrès de Paris (1987) [not the same concert as the CD version] (EMI)
• 2008 Charles Aznavour et ses amis au Palais Garnier (EMI)
• 2009 Anthologie 1955–1972 - 3 DVD Box Set (PAL Only) (INA / EMI)
• 2010 Anthologie volume 2 1973–1999 - 3 DVD Box Set (PAL Only) (INA / EMI)

FILMS Documentary[link]

• Charles Aznavour - Armenia 1989, (Armenfilm) 1989 color 10min. 35mm. Director Levon Mkrtchyan. The film is about the humanitarian aid that Charles Aznavour, a famous French singer of Armenian origin, brought to Armenia after the Spitak earthquake in 1988.^[46]
• Christmas in Vienna III, A Christmas gala concert live from Vienna on 22 December 1994 with Aznavour, Plácido Domingo and Sissel Kyrkjebø, featuring the Vienna Symphony conducted by famed Croatian conductor Vjekoslav Šutej.
• Making of "Colore ma vie", A making-of featurette released in 2007 coinciding with the release of Aznavour's latest studio album, Colore ma vie. Filmed in Havana and Paris, it shows his collaboration with Chucho Valdez and the thoughts, opinions, and artistry the two put into the album.
• Appeared on The Muppet Show Episode 9. Taping Dates: June 29 - July 1, 1976. Original Airdates: January 17, 1977 (New York) and January 22, 1977 (LA)

See also[link]

• Charles Aznavour Museum
• List of best-selling music artists
• Franco-Armenian relations
• Ils Sont Tombés

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official site
• Charles Aznavour on imusic.am
• "Portrait de S.E. Charles Aznavour" (in French). Embassy of the Republic of Armenia in Switzerland. http://www.armenian.ch/index.php?id=ambassador. Retrieved 2010-02-21. 
• Charles Aznavour at the Internet Movie Database
• Charles Aznavour at the Songwriters Hall of Fame
• Biography by Radio France International
• Charles Aznavour - Armenian-Russian Pages

Live performances[link]

• Charles Aznavour - "Ave Maria" performance
• Charles Aznavour - "Hier encore" performance
• Charles Aznavour - "Paris au mois d'août" performance

Angela Gheorghiu (Romanian pronunciation: [anˈd͡ʒela ɡe̯orˈɡi.u] ( listen); born Angela Burlacu September 7, 1965) ^[1] is a Romanian soprano. Since her professional debut in 1990, she has performed in the leading roles of several operas at New York's Metropolitan Opera, London's Royal Opera House, the Vienna State Opera, Milan's La Scala, and many other opera houses in Europe and the United States. She has a substantial discography primarily with EMI Classics and Decca.

Angela Gheorghiu, March 2012

Biography[link]

Gheorghiu was born in 1965 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 National University of Music Bucharest, primarily under Mia Barbu. Her graduation in 1990 coincided with the overthrow and execution of Nicolae Ceaușescu the previous year, enabling her to seek an international career immediately. Her professional opera debut took place at the Cluj-Napoca Romanian National Opera as Mimì in La bohème in 1990, the same year she won the Belvedere International Competition.^[3]

Gheorghiu made her international debut in 1992 at the Royal Opera House 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 Mimì in La bohème.^[5] In 1994, she was auditioned by the conductor Sir Georg Solti for a new production of La traviata at the Royal Opera House. Her debut as Violetta led her to international stardom.

Gheorghiu has concentrated her repertoire on several different roles: Violetta, Mimì, Magda, Adina, and Juliette. 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 in 2001, directed by the French director 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.

Gheorghiu took part in many concerts, singing alone or together with her colleagues. Among the most important ones, the reopening of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (1999) and Teatro Malibran in Venice (2001) and at the opening the new Opera House in Valencia, in the presence of the Queen Sofia of Spain (2005). She sang at the "Prom at the Palace" (2002), the event that marked the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, a concert that is available on DVD. She also sung at the Queen Beatrix's Jubilee Gala in Amsterdam (2005), at the New Year's Eve Concert at Palais Garnier in Paris (2006), at the "Met Summer Concert" in Prospect Park, New York (2008) or at the Memorial Concert for Luciano Pavarotti in Petra (2008). In 2009, Gheorghiu was invited to honor Grace Bumbry during the 32nd Annual Kennedy Center Honors, in Washington, DC. She performed "Vissi d'arte" from Puccini's Tosca in the presence of Barack Obama, the president of the United States.^[7]

In December 2000, Gheorghiu performed the title role in the film Tosca, directed by Benoit Jacquot, together with Roberto Alagna and Ruggero Raimondi.^[8] One year later, in 2002, Gheorghiu interpreted Juliette in the movie Roméo et Juliette, alongside Roberto Alagna and Tito Beltrán, also released on DVD.^[9]

In November 2010 Gheorghiu made her debut in Cilea's Adriana Lecouvreur, a new production of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. The Observer wrote: "It's hard to imagine anyone bettering Angela Gheorghiu in this part. Her voice, feather-light and creamy yet with a core of steel, matches the liquid way she moves on stage. She's a natural actress and made the improbable death scene heartbreakingly believable and her signature aria "Poveri fiori" simply unforgettable."^[10] The Telegraph wrote: "Adriana is known as a nice, easy sing for ageing or challenged prima donnas (no difficult top notes, and a tame orchestra), so Gheorghiu, in her vocal prime, should have found it a doddle. But her first aria was bumpy and nervous, and she fudged the end of the second. Elsewhere, in duet and declamation, she often sang exquisitely."^[11]

In July 2011 Gheorghiu sang the title role in Tosca at the Royal Opera House conducted by Antonio Pappano, and the following September returned there for the revival of Faust, which was broadcast live in cinemas all over the world. In April 2012, she appeared for the first time at the Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, in a concert of duets with Roberto Alagna.^[12]

Awards and honors[link]

She has recorded many recital albums and complete opera recordings and often appears on television and in concerts. The EMI recording of Massenet's Manon with Gheorghiu in the title role won the 2001 Gramophone Award for "Best Opera Recording", was nominated for "Best Opera Recording" in the 2002 Grammy Awards.^[13][14] The EMI recording of Puccini's Tosca with Gheorghiu, Roberto Alagna and Ruggero Raimondi in the title roles brought her the Deutscher Schallplattenpreis award in 2002.^[15] She also won Diapason d'Or Awards, Choc du Monde de la Musique in France, Cecilia Prize in Belgium, the Echo Award, the Italian Musica e dischi, Foreign Lyric Production Award, the USA Critics' Award. Gheorghiu won the title of Female Artist of the Year at the Classic Brit Awards in 2001 and 2010.^[16] She was honoured with "La Medaille Vermeille de la Ville de Paris" and she was appointed an Officier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres and Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Ministry of Culture and by her native country Romania.^{[citation needed]} In December 2010, Gheorghiu was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Arts in Iasi (Romania)^[17] and the Star of Romania, the highest decoration given by the President of Romania.^[18]

Gheorghiu at the Met and elsewhere[link]

On occasion, Gheorghiu has had difficult relationships with opera house managements and directors. Some, but not all, of them have stemmed from her opposition to directors who, as she put it in an interview with ABC "want to express their own fantasies, forgetting about the characters. At times, she says, what they put on stage goes against both the story and the music."^[19] She has attributed her outspokenness to her upbringing in Romania under the totalitarian regime of Nicolae Ceaușescu:

"Because I grew up in a country where there was no possibility of having an opinion, it makes me stronger now. Lots of singers are frightened about not getting invited back to an opera house if they speak out. But I have the courage to be, in a way, revolutionary. I want to fight for opera, for it to be taken seriously. Pop music is for the body, but opera is for the soul.".^[20]

Gheorghiu had a problematic relationship with former Metropolitan Opera General Manager Joseph Volpe after her debut there as Mimì in 1993. In 1996, Gheorghiu was cast as Micaela in a new production of Carmen, opposite Waltraud Meier and Plácido Domingo. The production by Franco Zeffirelli called for Micaela to wear a blonde wig, which Gheorghiu disliked. When the Met toured the production in Japan in 1997, she refused to wear it on the first night to which Volpe famously declared, "The wig is going on, with you or without you" and replaced her with an understudy.^[21][22] She appeared at the Met again in 1998 for six performances of Roméo et Juliette with her husband, tenor Roberto Alagna as Roméo. Volpe had planned to engage Gheorghiu in Violetta Valery for a new production of La traviata, to premiere in November 1998 and directed by Zeffirelli. Alagna was to sing the role of Violetta's lover, Alfredo Germont. According to Volpe, Gheorghiu and Alagna argued with the staff and the director over production details and continually delayed signing the contract. They eventually signed their contracts, and faxed them to the Met one day past their deadline. Volpe refused to accept them. The production opened with Patricia Racette and Marcelo Álvarez as the lovers.^[21]

In September 2007, Gheorghiu was dismissed from Lyric Opera of Chicago's production of La bohème by General Manager William Mason, for missing rehearsals and costume fittings, and generally "unprofessional" behavior. Gheorghiu said in a statement that she had missed some rehearsals to spend time with her husband, who was singing at the Met in Roméo et Juliette and rehearsing for Puccini's Madama Butterfly and added "I have sung 'Boheme' hundreds of times, and thought missing a few rehearsals wouldn't be a tragedy. It was impossible to do the costume fitting at the same time I was in New York.^[23]

Six weeks later, Gheorghiu made her debut at San Francisco Opera receiving favorable reviews for her Magda in that company's new production of La rondine.^[24][25] The San Francisco Opera production originated with London's Royal Opera House, where it premiered on May 7, 2002 with Gheorghiu and Alagna as Magda and her lover Ruggero. It is one which she particularly admires:

"When the curtain opened on La rondine at Covent Garden, the audience gasped and applauded. People want to dream. If directors want to do something new with operas, why not do something beautiful?"^[26]

Despite these issues, Gheorghiu and Alagna returned to the Metropolitan Opera for five performances of L'elisir d'amore in 1999 and for four performances of Faust in 2003. Gheorghiu also performed at the Met as Liù in Turandot in 2000; as Violetta in La traviata opposite Jonas Kaufmann in 2006 and 2007; as Amelia in Simon Boccanegra in 2007; as Mimì in La bohème in 2008; as Magda in the 2008/09 season in the ROH/SFO production of La rondine, the Met's first performance of the opera since 1936; and for the 2009/10 season she appeared as Violetta, replacing her previous engagement as Marie Antoinette in a rare revival of John Corigliano's The Ghosts of Versailles which was replaced due to the recession.

On December 31, 2008, Gheorghiu premiered the new production of La rondine at the Met, together with Roberto Alagna, Marius Brenciu, Lisette Oropesa and Samuel Ramey. The opera was last performed at the house over 70 years ago. She received some favorable reviews for her Magda: "Gheorghiu embodies the part, as actress and singer, with her natural charisma."^[27] The New York Times opinion was more mixed: "Vocally, both leads are somewhat disappointing. Ms. Gheorghiu, as Magda, sings with gleaming sound and wonderfully dusky colorings in the strong top register of her voice. But the earthy richness of her mid-range singing sometimes turns breathy, and her low voice is curiously weak."^[28]

In August 2009, Gheorghiu canceled all her scheduled 2010 Met performances of Carmen, for "personal reasons".^[29] It was to be her first public performance of the title role (normally sung by mezzo-sopranos). She also cancelled other Met performances scheduled near the end of 2010. In March 2011 she cancelled all her scheduled performances of Gounod's Roméo et Juliette at the Met, citing illness. Only days later she cancelled all her performances in the scheduled new production of Faust during the Met's 2011/2012 season. According to her manager the singer felt that "She felt uncomfortable in the concept". Peter Gelb, the Met's general manager, said that her frequent cancellations have become "an increasingly difficult problem for (the Met)." Gelb went on to say that, as of now, plans are still in place for Gheorghiu's return to the Met stage. He also went on the record to say "this has nothing to do with wigs."^[30]

Personal life[link]

Divorced from her first husband, from whom she retained her surname, Gheorghiu married 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.^[31] In October 2009, Alagna said in an interview in Le Figaro that he and Gheorghiu had separated. This had been confirmed on Gheorghiu's website where she has made it clear that she and Alagna have not been in a relationship for over two years.^[32] Following the separation, she declined to appear opposite Alagna in Carmen at the Metropolitan Opera in December 2009.^[33] The divorce, however, was then called off, only a few months after announcing it, in December 2009.^[34] In a March 2011 interview with the Daily Express she stated that she and Alagna were back together, and they were seen together in March 2011 backstage at London's Royal Opera House where Alagna was performing in Aida. She also stated in the interview that although she still wanted to sing separately from her husband for a while, she was looking forward to the day when they could retire together and have their own pets.^[35][36][37] Later that year, they jointly opened a Greek amphitheatre in the Emirate of Qatar.^[38]

Recordings[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Angela Gheorghiu: Official website
• Official Angela Gheorghiu page on EMI Classics (Biography, discography, schedule)

Anna Netrebko
Anna Netrebko, 2005
Background information
Birth name	Anna Yuryevna Netrebko
Born	(1971-09-18) 18 September 1971 (age 40) Krasnodar, Soviet Union (now Krasnodar, Russia)
Origin	Russian
Genres	Opera
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	1993–present
Website	annanetrebko.com

Anna Yuryevna Netrebko (Russian: Анна Юрьевна Нетребко, born 18 September 1971) is a Russian operatic soprano. She now holds dual Russian and Austrian citizenship and currently resides in Vienna. She has been nicknamed "La Bellissima" by fans.

Biography[link]

Netrebko was born in Krasnodar (Russia), in a family of Kuban Cossack background.^[1] While a student at the Saint Petersburg conservatoire, Netrebko worked as a janitor at Saint Petersburg's Mariinsky Theatre.^[2] Later, she auditioned for the Mariinsky Theatre, where conductor Valery Gergiev recognized her from her prior work in the theater. He subsequently became her vocal mentor.^[3] Under Gergiev's guidance, Netrebko made her operatic stage debut at the Mariinsky at age 22, as Susanna in Le nozze di Figaro. She went on to sing many prominent roles with the Kirov Opera, including Amina in La sonnambula, Pamina in Die Zauberflöte, Rosina in Il Barbiere di Siviglia, and Lucia in Lucia di Lammermoor.

In 1994, she sang the Queen of the Night in Die Zauberflöte with the Riga Independent Opera Avangarda Akadēmija under conductor David Milnes.

In March 2006, Netrebko applied to become an Austrian citizen, receiving her citizenship in late July.^[4] According to an interview in the Austrian weekly news, she will live in Vienna and Salzburg. Netrebko cites the cumbersome and humiliating process of obtaining visas (as a Russian citizen) for her many performances abroad as the main reason for obtaining Austrian citizenship.^[5]

In March 2007, Netrebko announced that she would be an ambassador for SOS Children's Village in Austria, and be a sponsor for the Tomilino village in Russia.^[6]

In April 2008, Netrebko announced that she and her fiancé, Uruguayan baritone Erwin Schrott, had married.^[7] Their son Tiago Aruã Schrott was born on 5 September 2008 in Vienna.^[8]

Netrebko at the Mariinsky Theatre after receiving the honorary title of People's Artist of Russia

Performances[link]

Anna Netrebko as Adina in Donizetti's L'elisir d'amore

In 1995, at the age of 24, Netrebko made her American debut as Lyudmila in Glinka's Ruslan and Lyudmila at the San Francisco Opera. Following this successful performance, she became a frequent guest singer in San Francisco. She is known as an acclaimed interpreter of other Russian operatic roles, such as Natasha in Prokofiev's War and Peace, Louisa in Betrothal in a Monastery and Marfa in The Tsar's Bride. Netrebko has also made successful forays into bel canto and romantic roles such as Gilda in Rigoletto, Mimi in La bohème, Giulietta in Bellini's I Capuleti e i Montecchi, and Elvira in I puritani.

In 2002, Netrebko made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera as Natasha in the Met premiere of War and Peace.^[9] In the same year, she sang her first Donna Anna at the Salzburg Festival's production of Don Giovanni, conducted by Nikolaus Harnoncourt. She also performed at the Russian Children's Welfare Society's major fund raiser, the "Petroushka Ball". She returned to the Ball in 2003 and 2006 and is an honorary director of the charity.

In 2003, Netrebko performed as Violetta in Verdi's La traviata in Munich, the title role in Lucia di Lammermoor at the Los Angeles Opera, and Donna Anna at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden. Her second album, Sempre Libera, was released the following year. She later appeared as Violetta Valéry in La traviata at the Salzburg Festival, conducted by Carlo Rizzi and in 2008 she performed the same role at Covent Garden to triumphant acclaim on the opening night, opposite Jonas Kaufmann and Dmitri Hvorostovsky in performances conducted by Maurizio Benini. However, she cancelled three subsequent performances due to suffering a bronchial condition. This was the second time she had cancelled her performances at the Royal Opera House, having withdrawn from some performances of Don Giovanni the previous summer due to illness.