ALAGNA OUT OF AIDA. He's all like: C U L8R LAM3RZ!!

ALAGNA WALKS-OFF STAGE DURING LIVE PRODUCTION OF AIDA, AFTER HE WAS BOOED AND HISSED FOR HIS ARIA, "CELESTE AIDA"

Breaking news in Milan at this very moment, which is setting-off mobiles in a flurry of SMS everywhere: About twenty minutes ago, at the performance that is running tonight at Teatro alla Scala of Verdi's Aida, Alagna was heartily booed and hissed for his First Act aria, "Celeste Aida", and in turn, stormed-off the stage and refused to return.

It was so unexpected and sudden, that the theater had to bring in his replacement Radames (Tenor Antonello Palombi) fresh from backstage still in his street-clothes, as Palombi had no time to change into proper costume! Find the blurb below:

SCALA: DOPO 'CELESTE AIDÀ TENORE ALAGNA LASCIA PALCOSCENICO - MILANO, 10 DIC - Dopo aver terminato l'aria 'Celeste Aidà, fra gli applausi e qualche fischio, il tenore Roberto Alagna è uscito dal palcoscenico del Teatro alla Scala ed è stato sostituito nella seconda rappresentazione dell'opera di Verdi. Al suo posto in scena è entrato Antonello Palombi non in costume, fra le grida di parte del loggione «vergogna, vergogna» e «questa è la Scala». Già nei giorni scorsi si era parlato di qualche problema alla voce per il tenore che, peraltro con successo, ha interpretato Radames all'apertura del 7 dicembre.

A translation?

La Scala: After the aria "Celeste Aida", tenor Alagna leaves the stage, Milan, December 10. After finishing the aria, "Celeste Aida", between the applauses there were a few hisses, and tenor Roberto Alagna exited the stage of Teatro alla Scala, only to be replaced by his secondary for the rest of Verdi's Aida. In Alagna's place, literally within the scene, entered tenor Antonello Palombi, not in costume, between the shouts coming from the loggione section of the theater. The shouts were, "For shame! For shame!", and, "This is La Scala"! Already for a few days prior it was being said that the tenor had a few problems with his voice, but has already played Radames since the opening on December 7."

With this story beginning to break, stay tuned to Opera Chic for more information throughout the night on this exclusive development! But really...how ironic this happening, only a few days after poor Placido Domingo was booed for his conducting of Puccini's La Bohème? Alagna is all like, "You mess with the bull, you get the horns!" The official statement has yet to be made, but this type of behavior sends a clear message that Alagna has obviously quit performing Radames for the duration of the run. Ooohh! And boy messed with Frengo in his own city! That's incredibly stupid, but pretty bad-a$$!

(Update: It was reported that replacement tenor Antonello Palombi had to finish Act I in black JEANS and a black T-SHIRT. Poor man...among all that gold fairy-dust and gilded wardrobe, he must have looked absurd!)

Comments

[of the kosmos]

Thank you for the report! This is absolutely unacceptable audience behavior.

[DJA]

This is absolutely unacceptable *audience* behavior?

[Giorgia]

> This is absolutely unacceptable *audience* behavior?

I undersign the question! I mean, surely it's not the audience to be put to blame!

[Opera Chic]

no, it\\\'s totally Alagna\\\'s fault all the way. Totally unprofessional behavior.

I personally can\\\'t stand when audience boo i maestri. but to me, the singers are fair game, and La Scala has a fine tradition of booing the singers!

Alagna is a little b*tch for pulling-out of the run. He\\\'s been threatening to do it for a good full week, and no one thought he\\\'d show-up for la prima.

He cancelled on Milan\\\'s own Zeffirelli, a man who is viewed as a God by the majority in Milan. For that, Alagna has lots of balls...or lots of stupidity.

[of the kosmos]

True, I should elaborate and qualify the statement. A singer shouldn't angrily walk out in the middle of a contracted performance. While I'm very much against the booing of singers, I do believe in professionalism. At the same time, I don't know the whole story, and I'm awestruck at the news of this bold move.

[Opera Chic]

FIRST OFF, DEAR READERS...please bear with me for the next few days...my typepad account thinks that I am spamming myself (oh, how sex-ay), and I therefore cannot comment via my own blog. I\\\'m using a service called like uni-something, and it is TEH SUCK!!!

I LOVE to participate in comments, and I haven\\\'t been able to for the past few days, and it\\\'s killing me! So please be patient!

For \\\"of the kosmos\\\", Yes, I totally agree that booing the singers is pretty lame. And the one thing I cannot stand is booing of maestri.

But you are right, it\\\'s beyond unprofessional what alagna did. It\\\'s inexcusable. And I am also awestruck at Alagna\\\'s behavior. Let\\\'s wait to see what becomes of this!!

[Matthias Röder]

Living in a city where people only boo for the staging and never for the singers or conductors I had to laugh out loud reading your story! I wish someone would boo at some of the vibrato-abusing prima donnas at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden in Berlin at times. But alas....

[a.]

"He's all like: C U L8R LAM3RZ!!" <-- made me laugh so hard!! Wow, I've never been to an opera performance where people showed any disrepect at all, even when they didn't like the people on stage. anyway, i totally agree, he shouldn't have pulled out like of the show. just makes him look like a dog limping with his tail between his legs.

[Carol Cassar]

I would just like to say fantastic to all those who boo'd and hissed, it is about time the audience once again became more discerning. For too long opera has been a dirty money making business for a few "racomandati" (singers who know influential people)too many don't have the necessary technique to be genuine opera singers, an evidence of this is the fact that microphones were installed at the Arena di Verona "ma per favore" did Callas, Pavarotti, Gudonov, Capuccilli and many others need microphones NO! they had proper training and knew how to project their voices. How dare it be suggested that Roberto Alagna is the obvious tenor to fill the shoes of Pavarotti! His voice is "spinta" ..meaning forced and it has an extremely evident tremor. He is without doubt one of many of todays opera singers who compromised himself to get where he is today.

[Jim Flanagan]

What happened in his aria that upset the audience so much? Alagna sounds great on CDs
but I was told by a friend who's heard him at the Met (I'm exiled in Arizona) that his voice isn't powerful enough to project the way it should. I do know he's got a monumental ego...imagine him and his lovely Romanian wife going into Rudolph Bing's office and telling him their "requirements" and how to run his company. What's with these people? Kathleen Battle, for example...stunningly beautitful with the voice and technique of an angel and she's like some "Super Bitch" out of a comic book. People who are able to sing oprera professionally should get down on their knees every night and thank God for their incredible good fortune!

[dj1975]

The term "projection" is a misnoma and is frequently misused. It is impossible to "project" a voice.

When Caruso was once asked how he projected his voice he replied that he never projected his voice, he just sang as well as he could for himself and let people listen to him (apologies for not using direct quote).

I agree that there are many singers out there who push there voices in an effort to be heard and this eventually leads to vocal problems. Although "spinto" literally means "pushed", it is actually referring to the colour of the voice and not the physical way in which the voice is produced e.g. Renata Tebaldi is referred to as a spinto soprano because of her vocal quality.

Many people make the same mistake regarding sopranos and mezzo sopranos. A mezzo soprano is refers to vocal/tonal colour and not vocal range. The voice tends to be much "darker" than a soprano, but a mezzo must still have a good top C.

The properly trained singer has a voice that works because it is balanced and does not require forcing or "projecting". It merely relies on the principle of resonance which ensures that the voice carries throughout the performance space and can be heard over the top of an orchestra.

This principle is particularly important in the Puccini and Wagner operas as the orchestrations are very dense, particularly in the mid-region, and only resonance will allow the singer to be heard over the orchestra.

As for Alagna's behaviour, it is enough to say that it is unprofessional and he surely should be aware that Italians treat opera as a blood sport and that it is not for the faint-hearted.

[fidelio101]

Alagna's problem is that he came to prominence when the world was anticipating the successor to Domingo and Pavarotti which he is not.
His Met debut was a fizzle and maybe he shouldn't have continued that night either when his final note in the first act duet with Mimi that ends off stage didn't quite make it.
Unfortunately both him and his wife believe the publicity machines they pay to promote them.
I don't agree with booing. I think no applause at all can be just as big a comment.
I was at a performance of Don Carlo at the Met one New Years day and remember thinking I wish the tenor would "get ill".
No one booed. But when the house manager announced his replacement for act II there was some nice applause!
After all we were starting the New Year! I only wished they had resung the Act one duet!

[Marc Freedman]

If Alagna walked out, La Scala cannot be expected to take him back. Alagna not only unlawfully breached his contract, he violated the relationship that an artist must have with his audience. What could the La Scala audience feel but anxious that if they don't cheer him enough he will again walk out? I do not feel sorry for him. He shouldn't be listening for booing or cheering anyway until the performance of the opera is finished. He should be professional. He's not and I don't feel an ounce of sympathy for him. Obviously he is not aware of how fortunate he is to be a successful opera singer. Too bad his ego got in the way.

[Lydia]

The Italian public is complete animals...no sophisticated at all poor ALAGNA!