Opera Chic

Because The Horror Never Ends: More Palombi Xplanations on Alagna's Walkout

We really didn't want to come back to that fateful December 10, 2006, and Roberto Alagna's walkout at la Scala. But Antonello Palombi, then-understudy of Roberto Alagna in that most unfortunate production of Aida, has added more wise words  (Palombi has just gotten really, really nice reviews in a Baltimore Tosca).

Under the comical headline "The Tenor of Heroism", imperiled-kitty-saving Palombi gives the 100th version of what happened that night, and cuts all the conspiracy talk that came from the Alagna camp and that made us laugh so hard:

"There is a story that I'm part of a plot. I'm not."

Earlier, in rehearsal, his long, free-form hair had been tied in a taut, Samurai warrior-like ponytail. After letting it loose, Palombi looks more like a bearded version of a vintage, 1980s Meat Loaf. He gesticulates kinetically as he talks in rapid streams of mostly confident English, his dark, friendly eyes providing an active counterpoint of their own.

Palombi had been engaged as Alagna's "cover" (opera-speak for understudy) in a new production of Aida and was also given two performances to sing later in the run. On the fateful day, Dec. 10, Palombi was first told that he needn't bother being at the opera house that night.

"But at 4:40, the telephone rings again - 'You have to come here in one hour,'" he says.

By 6 p.m., Alagna was still nowhere to be seen, so Palombi started warming up his voice in a dressing room, just in case he had to go on.

"The door opens, and it is Roberto," Palombi says. "Thank God. He says to me, 'You want to sing tonight?' 'No, no, Roberto.' "

Alagna, a cocky Franco-Sicilian tenor with a considerable fan base around the world, prepared to perform. Palombi hung around backstage after Aida started, figuring he could go home once things were well under way.

When Alagna finished his big aria, Celeste Aida, he received polite applause. "Then," Palombi says, "one man shouted 'Bravo.' Oh, my God. After this - something I hope never to hear again in my life."

That something was a barrage of boos and whistles (in Italy, whistling is not a sign of favor). Alagna raised a fist at the audience and headed for the wings.

"I swear, I said, 'No, Roberto, don't do this.'" Palombi acts out a hand pushing him on the shoulder. It was "as if to say, 'It's your turn.' It was, how do you say? Brusque."

As Alagna passed him and headed into the dark backstage, Palombi noticed that the music was continuing out in the house. The character of Amneris, no doubt startled to find herself alone at the start of what was supposed to be a duet, started to sing her next lines.

"I heard a voice say 'Go on,'" Palombi says. And he did, without missing a beat.

Those who, I wonder why, feel like reading the whole puff piece can find it here.

PALOMBI< WE SAW WHAT YOU DID THERE!!

Antonello Palombi may not be the best tenor in Italy, but he is certainly the fastest.

Opera Chic has learned of the shrouded circumstance to as why Palombi ruthlessly barged-up onto stage in black jeans and a long black shirt (as you see in the photo) for Sunday night’s Aida.

It’s now an open secret that Palombi wasn’t even supposed to be Alagna’s replacement for Sunday night! He was actually number three for the night, and hence, was not costumed!

When Palombi heard the booing on Sunday night, and figured that it was going to make Alagna go mental, he raced to the backstage area. It was from behind the wings that he out-ran the official replacement for the night, who was *already* in full costume, tenor Walter Fraccaro.

La Repubblica has put up a browser-crashing film of Palombi's informal Sunday night premiere (Warning: may crash Firefox).

We see here that Palombi -- a struggling tenor with a family that needs to pay the bills -- was simply an opportunist. Early bird gets the worm am i rite?

Alagna/Bolle/Palombi Teaser!

Opera Chic is snapping-up all the yummy gossip here in Milan, and has found quite a few gems concerning Bolle and Alagna’s replacement tenor Antonello Palombi.

I have learned of some very incriminating tidbits circling around Palombi, and the circumstances of his rush to the stage clad in black jeans, which leaves everyone here a bit curious...

I have also learned that Roberto Bolle - as anticipated last night by Opera Chic - has gone public with his cruel attack on Alagna. Here is one juicy morsel from Bolle in the meantime to hold you over:

Bolle, “I must admit now that I realize Alagna envies my body”.

lol heh brb tia!! More from Opera Chic later...she is already running late to her regular corner table at Antica Trattoria la Pesa. l8r! ciao-ciao!

BREAKING NEWS!!: LA $CALA + DECCA WILL SUE YOUR A$$, ALAGNA

BREAKING NEWS: LA SCALA AND DECCA ARE SERIOUSLY CONSIDERING SUING ALAGNA!

Teatro alla Scala is deciding whether or not to join with Decca in a lawsuit against Alagna for damages incurred when he decided to withdraw from the current production of Aida. Teatro alla Scala legal offices are currently evaluating the possibility of suing Alagna for damages, because his name was on the marquee when tickets were sold, and every performance has been already sold-out. There are still nine performances to take place, five in December, four in January. For tomorrow night's Aida, tenor Walter Fraccaro will be singing Radames.

Translated from Italian are statements from the key figures in this breaking scandal:

Stéphane Lissner’s statement:

"Last night's episode was very painful because there was a clear lack of respect for the public, as well as the theater. An opera theater is the place where we celebrate live performances. It has been since many centuries ago that artists have been defending, and have been making possible the expression of a show that takes life in front of us. I have always argued that artists must be at the center of a theater project. We are here to support the artists, and to guarantee them the best conditions in accomplishing their work."

"Molto increscioso perchè vi è stata una evidente mancanza di rispetto nei confronti del pubblico e del teatro. Un teatro d'opera è il luogo in cui si celebra lo spettacolo dal vivo. Da secoli gli artisti difendono e rendono possibile l'espressione dello spettacolo che prende vita davanti a noi. Ho sempre sostenuto che gli artisti devono essere al centro del progetto teatrale e siamo qui per sostenerli, per garantire loro le migliori condizioni nel compiere il loro lavoro."

Alagna's statement:

“I didn’t sing badly. The reason I don't think so is because everybody on La Scala’s staff, or La Scala’s orchestra, that when they told me I sang like a God, they were all lying to me. For the last ten years, I have been banned by La Scala. Now that I came back, I just couldn’t have a triumph.”

"Non ho cantato male, perché non penso che tutta la gente, i dirigenti della Scala, l'orchestra quando mi hanno detto che ho cantato da Dio siano dei bugiardi. Non ho avuto il diritto di venire alla Scala per 10 anni. Adesso torno e no, non poteva essere un trionfo."

Replacement Antonello Palombi's statement:

“I’m happy because I proved myself that I have a lot of 'cold blood'. And for the first time in my life, I understood the meaning of acting like a man. I don’t forget that I found myself in that situation because of a colleague’s incident. It is more important that the opera has not been suspended. We didn’t loose one note. The orchestra kept playing. This is the most satisfying thing for me.”

"Sono contento perché ho dato a me stesso la prova di avere un grande 'sangue freddo' e per la prima volta ho capito cosa vuol dire comportarsi da uomo ma non dimentico che mi sono trovato in quella situazione per un incidente a un collega. L'importante è che l'opera non sia stata sospesa. Non si è persa neppure un'ottava, l'orchestra ha continuato a suonare, e questa è la mia soddisfazione più grande."

(UPDATE:) Okay opera-fans...I'm off to Teatro alla Scala for the next couple of hours to hear a lovely program of The St. Petersburg Philharmonic and Yuri Temirkanov interpret a Tchaikovsky-heavy program of The Swan Lake Suite, Concerto 1 in B-flat minor, and the Pathétique Symphony 6 in B minor.

I promise to return with delectable tidbits and developing rumors from the latest Alagna scandal, because there is currently an INSANE rumor going-around, but I need to confirm it before I post later!

In the meantime, please enjoy this excellent link from SKY television, which is a three-minute film (in Italian language; also AUDIO alert for those at work) on Alagna's walk-out, but also captures the dance of Roberto Bolle in his golden thong [and a shout-out to the lovely La Cieca]!

La Scala's GM speaks, but doesn't mention Alagna!

I've heard from sources that Stéphane Lissner (General Manager and Artistic Director of Teatro alla Scala) went onstage between Acts II and III, and eloquently addressed the audience, saying the following:

"Desidero manifestare il nostro rincrescimento per l'incidente che si è verificato durante il primo atto. La Scala ringrazia Antonello Palombi che è generosamente entrato in scena per permettere all'opera di continuare senza interruzione. La Scala vi ringrazia per la vostra comprensione"

Translation?

"I wish to show our sorrow/regret for the incident that happened during the First Act. La Scala thanks Antonello Palombi who very generously entered the scene, which permited the opera to continue without interruption. La Scala thanks you for your understanding."

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!)