This morning, Corriere della Sera links AGR Radio, who released a short, candid interview (in Italian language only) with Alagna on the advent of his walking-off the stage at Teatro alla Scala, and what he plans to do now that the controversy of his actions have begun to sink-in and Lissner is not listening. heh.
Alagna rambles through the interview backing-up the claims that Opera Chic had discovered yesterday at the theater, that he does indeed intend to show-up to the theater on Thursday night, regardless of the fact that he has been told by Lissner (GM) that he’s been dismissed. He also shares his theory that it was a conspiracy placed to purposely malign him and his success at Teatro alla Scala, mostly because he saw replacement tenor Antonello Palombi warming up for two hours before the performance. He also blames journalists for misquoting him. He also goes on to say that there are too many haters that envy him, and therefore they are out to ruin his career.
Also, even if you don’t comprehend Italian, make sure you listen to at least around minute 6 and 30 seconds, where Alagna starts singing. wtf?!
His whole defense is now this: at the time of the booing incident, he didn’t know that it was a normal, accepted thing at Teatro alla Scala. He thought it was a really bad thing. Therefore, he pretends that he now understands that booing is like freedom of expression and goes on to say, “Now I’ve begun to understand that this booing thing is not an evil thing. Now I shall sing”. (“Adesso ho capito che questa cosa non è una cosa per male... allora canterò"). Really, that’s his defense! He says again, “Now I’ve learned that boos and whistles here are normal, OK then, I’ll sing even if people are booing. I didn’t know that before.” He didn't know guys! He had no idea...
He says quite a few other intriguing things. But all in all, he’s basically riding a huge back-peddling bicycle throughout the entire interview, slamming on the brakes of his indignant tirade and trying to repair a bit of damage. Blaming the press, blaming his feelings, etc…And is it just me, or does Alagna look like a bloated Gary Oldman? Anyway, here are some choice quotes translated into English:
On the media conspiracy that twisted his words, making it look like Alagna will never come back to Teatro alla Scala:
- Alagna, “What I said was, ‘If they don’t want me, I’ll never come back’ (‘Se non mi vogliono, non tornero mai più’). But the media has edited out the, ‘If they don’t want me’ part, which is why everyone is misquoting me as saying I’ll never return.”
Other quotes from Alagna on the booing:
- Alagna, “I could never boo somebody. I’m the son of Sicilian immigrants to France, and I learned to respect people’s feelings. My grandfather said, ‘Wish well to those who hate you.’ So I wish well to all those who booed me.”
- Alagna, “I’d really like to meet these people [ed: the people who booed], to understand them.”
- Alagna, “This is a human thing. If it's normal to be booed, then that’s fine. Let's all sing with the boos then.
- Alagna, “At the moment I heard the booing, I felt earth opening beneath me.”
Alagna on Lissner
- Alagna, “Lissner is a friend, he was kind to me in the dressing room. He has a work to do, I understand him. Zeffirelli wants to do La Traviata with me and Angela: ‘It will be a scandal’, he told me.”
Alagna on PHLEGM rofl
- Alagna, “My daughter called me, she told me she had listened to the opera on the radio from France and she said, ‘You’ve been bravissimo, not even a little phlegm.’”
(No, I didn’t make-up that last quote…I swear!!)
