Angela Gheorghiu 20 years ago

[Sarastro]

Unbelievable! That is how Angela Burlacu sang in 1988. Despite the accent, sung is almost flawless - silvery colour, warbling tone. Very sincerely and tenderly performed, full of sense commitment and musicality. Where has everything gone? Imho, she now sounds flat, over-mature and simply boring. Not that bad, of course, but after such a rendition I could've thought she would become a brilliant singer equal to those of the Golden Age of Opera. Very sad.

http://www.youtube.com/v/PWi19IT5CEc&hl=en&fs=1

[The new erato]

Where has everything gone?

Stardom, jetsetting, overexposure, moneymaking deals, wrong roles, shopping, glamour.....take your pick.

[toledobass]

Wow...that is beautiful singing

[knight66]

Yes, very beautiful and direct, honest singing. She has all the technique needed and absorbed the specific style here, eliding between some notes, but not others. She is nevertheless still a very good singer and well able to engage with the role.

I think AG's reputation has been damaged more by her diva attitudes than by her actual singing. I agree however that we might have expected greater things.

This reminds me of Tebaldi; a singer I have never found at all interesting. When I was in Italy I came across some of her very earliest recordings. There was the communication I subsequently found wanting. The voice more individual, the drama more ear catching. Then, once famous suddenly she seemed to become a voice machine, boring, manered in the way she overlaid the singing with stock dramatic gesture. What a great pity.

Mike

[zamyrabyrd]

This is just too hilarious to be true - "living opera" (posted on two sites):

http://slippedisc.com/2016/04/watch-angela-gheorghiu-misses-cue-keeps-kaufmann-waiting-on-vienna-stage/

Kaufmann got to sing "lucevan le stelle" twice with some lengthy applause. Meanwhile, Tosca got lost in the wings.

The video clip originally comes from La Stampa: "We don't have a soprano!"

http://www.lastampa.it/2016/04/18/spettacoli/a-vienna-lopera-inizia-senza-il-soprano-risate-commenti-e-imbarazzo-in-sala-OrgtJc1n0lHSzhGgZJ5tRK/pagina.html

A Vienna "Tosca" inizia senza Tosca. Risate, commenti e imbarazzo in sala
È successo alla Staatsoper. E il tenore canta: "Non abbiamo il soprano"

[narraboth]

Well, her tickets sell well. Similar to another soprano Anna Netrebko, I couldn't decide which one got worse taste until I saw this clip:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaVbRybu8hQ

Horrible taste on both singing and dressing. Wondering what's wrong with Londoners nowadays.