BREAKING: It's A Divorce, Gheorghiu Demolishes Her (Ex) Husband's Version, Calls Alagna A Liar

There was a reason why Opera Chic initially mentioned a divorce, the other night, and not simply a separation between Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu.

Anyway, Alagna's statement to Le Figaro that "Angela does not want to hear about a divorce, we'll see", seems to, ahem, no longer be operative. She calls Alagna a liar. Bitter, too. One senses he might want to recalibrate his future statements, or this might actually get ugly.

From Gheorghiu's official website:

STATEMENT 10/10/2009

Angela Gheorghiu wishes to emphasize that she has been separated from Roberto Alagna for the last two years. Her attempts to save the marriage in this period failed.Having initiated divorce proceedings months ago, she awaits the finalisation of their divorce as soon as possible. Ms. Gheorghiu understands that Mr. Alagna is bitter about this situation.  As for her part, contrary to his declarations, she would like to live her life now with peace and tranquillity.

Comments

[Willym]

dear me, why does the word "b'|*h" spring to mind - and being Canadian I normally err on the side of political correctness.

Just glad to see there is no bitterness in her version!

[Les Mitchell]

This is so typical in many cases. Each says something different, and one lashes out. The Alagna interview in Le Figaro clearly illustrates the fact that he knows the marriage is over and he wants some public sympathy, which I suppose is normal. Angela, obviously angered by his comment that she "will not hear about divorce", has responded in a way that she considers appropriate. Their divorce will probably become as publicized as that of Maria Callas and Giovanni Meneghini. Besides, who knows? There could be a third person involved, who thus far has failed to emerge. At any rate, the marriage is over and a divorce is imminent.

I see no parallel here to Liz Taylor and Richard Burton at all.
They never insulted each other in the press. I believe that they were the types of people who couldn't live WITH each other or WITHOUT each other (it's been reported that Taylor still has pictures of Burton in her bedroom). But in the case of Alagna and Gheorghiu, is more like Callas and Meneghini, both of whom freely insulted the other. Of course, in their case, Onasis was the third party. Whatever the case, the end of the Alagna/Gheorghiu marriage is a fact, and hopefully, both will continue to thrive. I'm sure that La Gheorghiu's many cancellations over the last two years have been rooted in her marital problems. Hopefully, she will become more responsible with her engagements, have her agent focus on damage-control, and perhaps convince opera managers that she is a more reliable artist. When all is said and done, her Mimi from San Francisco (which was recently broadcast) was exquisite. How she and Alagna were able to perform together so convincingly in "Rondine" at the Met last season is very interesting. I know that she cancelled a a couple of those, but at least they did the HD telecast.

Good luck to both of them. This can't an easy situation. There are two teen-age daughters involved (his daughter and her niece, who is the daughter of her late sister and whom she adopted). Moreover, there must be lots of financial stuff to iron out. Well, many predicted that this marriage would eventually "pop", and so it has.

[GypsyGirl1974]

Actually, from what I hear from people who have worked with them closely, that SHE was the one making things difficult, he apparently wanted out long ago.

[Coloratura Tempura]

Alagna please drop the macho Sicilian BS and stop lying, it's a divorce, she wants out, grow up.

[Despina]

I don't think it will be a problem for the teenage daughters, as one lives in Paris and the other in London, as far as I know...

Anyway, I really hope there won't be any more public statements... these things are private and should remain such!

[Cristina]

I wonder why nobody remembers his recent interview in "the Independent" when he says she is out of contact,he respects her decisions and "I will love her forever!"(october ,the 2nd)
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/classical/features/roberto-alagn\
a-opera-was-my-secret-love-1796003.html

[Casualoperafan]

The story I have long heard is that he has wanted out for years and she has used every trick n the nook to try to get back. FWIW

[Vera]

LIAR LIAR PANTS ON FIRE LOL

[Kevin Edmund Youkilis 4 MVP]

This is going to get really ugly.

[Forte]

Holy cr_p, this is getting good! I don't wish divorce or separation on anyone, but it makes for amazing tabloid fodder: Remember Paul McCartney's split from Heather Mills? It was one of the biggest gossip stories of the year.

[tempestrata]

We should have expected something like this coming from the Alagna Gheorghiu circus. Why would ANYTHING in their lives be neat and carefully taken care of. I can't wait for the public drunkenness. And you know it's only going to be a matter of time before we see each singer show up in public with young hot pieces on their arms.

[val]

DESPINA: "Anyway, I really hope there won't be any more public statements... these things are private and should remain such!"

Of course not! We love it :)

Seriously, I coudn't care less who of the two wants to get out from the marriage but it's fun. They decided to make the whole thing public. We might as well have fun with it.

[alejandra]

they got married in a theater, right?

well, the divorce will be just as dramatic..

[Nik]

I wonder when all of the photos of Alagna will be removed from her website?

I had met Angela after the matinee of LA RONDINE, in San Francisco. She was autograhping CDs in the lobby of the opera house. There was a long line to see Angela although, the line for Netrebko after the matinee of LA TRAVITA was twice as long!

I presented Angela the CD of her Verdi Duets recording with Roberto. Angela stared at the photo of Roberto on the CD cover for a very long time -- she was clearly lost in thought but eventually gave a very sweet smile to herself (I think she had forgotten I was standing there, waiting for her to autograph the cover of the CD). This encounter with Angela struck me as a bit odd. That said, she was very sweet and kind to the crowd. I was amazed at what great she was in -- wow! what a figure!

During the HD telecast of LA RONDINE from the MET, there was no real chemistry between them, especialy in the long kiss they shared in the final duet.

If the divorce goes to court, she will have to tell the truth about her real age, no? That might make for another fun OC story! :-)

[ika]

anyone see HD of Tosca? I LOVED IT. Thought Matilla and georgian scarpia were outstanding. Alvarez less so dramatically. Loved the production.

[Lou Ann D.]

Wow Roberto sounded so good in that clip! What chemistry! I just came from the HD broadcast and this makes Karita and Marcelo look bad. Maybe they should get married except that in this transmission Karita looks like Marcelo's mother.

[Constantine A. Papas]

Now AG can enjoy her disfunctionality all by herself. Who cares!

[Anne]

Man I can't believe Les Mitchell wrote all that.

[cd]

just came from the HD La Tosca. Loved it! But what took my breath away was the announcement that FINALLY the Il barbiere DVD with Joyce and Juandi will sooon be released... and I just preordered the La Cenerentola DVD with the two of them. This will be a cause for celebration for provincial me who does not get to see live opera at the big houses.

[-Ed.]

$candale! Ooi! Monaaay!! sek but no seks.

saw the Met tosca broadcast today as well, loved loved! the singing, wrinkled mattila too. hated hated the production, sorry chic. actually i'm not sorry, so there.

will alagna get his daily exercise without george eee oh u?

[ika]

not sure why comments got mixed up but I wrote the following below and did not comment about Matilla above. if anything I found Angela completely contrived and fake in that clip compared to Matilla. yes Karita may not be a spring chicken anymore but even cougars can be hot when dolled up. I thought she looked better than marcelo who at times reminded me of a hipo. he sang great but I found him less dramatically convincing than Matilla and Gagnize who was also outstanding. I think I even cried a little. Tosca's look as she was perched against the wall waiting for soldiers to come up - priceless.

"anyone see HD of Tosca? I LOVED IT. Thought Matilla and georgian scarpia were outstanding. Alvarez less so dramatically. Loved the production"

[Linda Smith]

Great picture!

Reading various articles about Gheorghiu and Alagna over the past year, I've always come away with the impression that she was the one who wanted out. In one piece not long ago, he mentioned the fact that she no longer wanted to sing with him and that he was unhappy about this. Referring to his brothers, she is reported to have said that "one Alagna is enough". The final scene of the Met's HD La Rondine is interesting in retrospect: he is crying (what looks like real tears) as she "flys" away.

[ika]

ok looks like it was my computer so please diregard the mixup comment thnaks

[Cristina]

But what about Angela? Wasn't he happy with Angela? Isn't he happy with Angela? "I was beautiful with Angela. She was my angel, because she saved me. Because of Angela, I continued to sing." And now? "Well," says Alagna, "we are a bit in trouble". La Gheorghiu, it turns out, is in New York and out of contact. She was due to join him, for some performances of Carmen at the Met, but she has pulled out. "I respect her wish," he says, but the smile can't hide the sadness. "She is saying like this, in this moment, I accept that. But," he adds simply, "I will love her for ever."
Extract from :the Independent"(2nd october 09)
Which is the real Roberto?

[vale]

1. Who cares about this "bad children" couple? (Italian: Chi se frega?)
2. Alvarez has lost the beauty in the voice and it is now shout or croon. He's been off my list for some time now.
3. Alvarez does not loook like hipo. He could never be anything "hip" (play on words:"gioco di parole") but... he does remind me of something a bit more "simianus".

[Beardo]

Bo-frickity-hoo, she probably shacked up with one of those dodgy Romanian popstars that she seems to be plugging all the time.
It's a shame in some respects-I liked them at the beginning and I like their full opera recordings and the verdi duets. She has a beautiful voice which seems to have lost a lot along the way. He should stick to the popular schtick as he's good at it. End of.

[Nopera]

Let them take care of their private life and let us enjoy their voices. Why do we always want to know about other people's private lives and scandals. I watched Angela last night in Singapore with Marius Manea, much better than the scandal stories.....

[Cristina]

How did she look? How did she sound?
Maybe this new phase of her life will be better than the previous.

[edda]

Roberto, Angela, please don´t start washing your dirty laundry in public.

A good reply to questions about the relationship would be
"No comment".

[El Cajon]

Best news is that the Met Barbiere will finally be released on DVD. I heard the BBC/Covent Garden Barbiere stream with Joyce D and Juan Diego yesterday and she was fantastic and he was almost as good. While I think Mattei was the better Figaro at the Met, who could top Furlanetto's Don Basilo at Covent Garden. Hope this one is also eventually released on DVD.

[Maximus]

I wholeheartedly agree, Cristina.

It's problem enough in a society where divorce is a normal occurrence amongst couples, especially famous ones in any field of media exposure. There's no need to publicize or market such a disheartening message to one's public scope. Hopefully they don't turn the situation into something "marketable", because I do believe you can do yourself a disservice with bad publicity.

[Casual Opera Fan]

The saddest part of all is that this is all so old hat and predictable that is almost uninteresting!!!

[Princess]

WILLYM SAID: 'How she and Alagna were able to perform together so convincingly in "Rondine" at the Met last season is very interesting.'

Agreed! I witnessed the fine acting from Row 2. However, it was very telling at the curtain calls when she would not even look his way... and practically rebuffed his attempt to kiss her then.

[tommi]

do we really care if they are getting divorced? I personally don't give a crp.....it is their own buisness, no?

[Connie]

I'm guessing that Angela served Roberto with divorce papers in NYC at the end of March (which coincided with their March 25th appearence at the MET -- 125th Anniversary Gala). When Roberto left NYC for his appearence at Covent Garden... he sated in an April 8th interview:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/opera/5125948/Robert-Alagna-interview-Il-trovatore-at-the-Royal-Opera-House.html

"However, one person to whom he is not currently talking is his wife. He has left her in New York, and "relations between us are very cold at the moment. She texted me several times last night, to say she will join me after Easter, but I am not replying. Sometimes I think I love her too much."

Now, Roberto is claiming in his latest interviews that his money is basically gone due to taxes, agents, family, and daily expenses. Perhaps he is trying to gain public sympathy because Angela is about to sue the pants of him... and if he was having an affair(as some reports suggest.. don't realy know for certain)then Angela will probably take him for all he's worth. As you know, "hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn"... Angela is one lady you don't want to cross.

[Casual Opera Fan]

The impact of adultery on divorce proceedings and particularly on divorce settlements vary not only from country to country but from state to state.

In NY, where I think they were legally married, adultery is "grounds" for a divorce, or, one can divorce after living separately for one or more years without grounds specified (speaking very loosely and in layman's terms), But it also involves residency, etc. and if you are citizens or residents of other countries you often have to be divorced there too - very complicated.

So it can be very complicated and I only mention it because the mere presence of adultery does not automatically in every state and country result in generous settlement to the offended spouse, in many cases it does not enter it the financial settlements at all.

I do not really care much about personal lives but I DO get annoyed at them marketing themselves as the golden opera couple while being separated.

I know it is a small and probably a silly point but it just seems such a dishonest marketing ploy to play the happy couple for career benefits.

When people are getting divorced you can never believe anything that either party says - they are both totally biased and neither sees it objectively.

The truth is usually some other reality that is not quite what either party is relating or how it seems to them!

I wish them all the best and hope they do not try to get the same career mileage out of their divorce as they did out of their marriage!!!!

[yappy]

The Daily Telegraph was a bit late to pick up on this post. ;-)

[Casual Opera Fan]

Re Daily Telegraph .. Slackers!!!!

[PrimaDiva]

Bonnie and Clyde divorcing? Half the drama of the music will be gone then.

[sidney orr]

As I have been saying for over two years, they actually divorced sometime in late 2005, and the ensuing years have been for the sake of PR - all a very common situation, as OC and her colleagues know well: the PR version is usually 180 degrees from the truth in this
phantasmagorical world.... It would be interesting though to know why .....now.....?
Aside from the somewhat downhill slide in both their careers.... one may be assured that neither has ever lacked certain attentions from their ..... comrades in arms...

[C'est Moi]

The only Drama I care about is on stage.

[Casual Opera Fan]

To Sidney's comment - Well now this is getting confusing. If they actually divorced in 2005, why is she saying they are separated for two years, etc.

I can understand not announcing a divorce for PR reasons until joint engagements had been fufilled (tacky and manipulative but at least it makes sense).

i don't understand why announce it now as a separation and a divorce not yet finalized? maybe it is done in one country but not in others?

Or maybe it is all just smoke and mirrors?

I had heard they "were no longer together" going back that far too, but, I figured it was either a rumor or maybe not something legalized in any sense. But now who knows!!!

[Linda Smith]

Hollywood and pop music stars always deny they are breaking up just before they actually do - why not opera singers? Madonna and Guy Ritchie come to mind along with millions of others!