Angela Gheorghiu, Soprano

The online opera guide to Angela Gheorghiu

Read the short biography of Angela Gheorghiu and listen to highlights of his career. On her website once was once written: the world’s greatest living soprano.

The ascent

Gheorghiu was born in 1965 in rural Romania into a working class family. At the age of 14 she went to Bucharest to the music high school and afterwards to the music college. She made her debut with her diploma performance as Mimi in La Bohème by Giacomo Puccini.

She left Romania shortly after and was engaged at the Royal Opera House in London, where she made her debut as Zerlina in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. A key event was the encounter with Georg Solti. At the age of 84 he wanted to produce his first Traviata with fresh artists and met Angela Gheorghiu. He was thrilled. When the opera was showed in the opera house “Her performance spontaneously convinced the BBC’s television management to change the programme and switch live to the Royal Opera House in London to broadcast the performance on television. This is how the triumph of the “soprano” (wikipedia) began in London.

Sempre libera

 

Anita Gheorghiu is for some roles the best possible cast and is a box office magnet. Her behaviour is worthy of that of a diva.

 

Voice

Her voice is lyrical and has a beautiful and balanced sound and a great legato.  She has her strongest moments in slow, romantic passages.

Vogliatemi bene (Madame Butterfly)  –  Gheorghiu / Kaufmann

 

Significance

On her website once was written: the world’s greatest living soprano. Her popularity is based on her beautiful voice, her good looks and her acting skills.

 

 

More highlights of Angela Gheorghius records

In a concert recording of le nozze’s porgi amor.

Porgi amor

 

You will hear arecording from the above mentioned Solti production with Angela Gheorghiu of La Traviata.

Addio del passato

 

This scene is one of the emtional highlights of Andréa Chénier and reminds of the dramatic scene between Scarpia and Tosca in the famous second act. Maddalena mourns her family’s fate and begs Gérard to release Chénier. Gerard confesses Maddalena his love and she offers him a night if he releases Chénier.

La mamma morta

 

From Massenets Manon.

Je suis encore étourdie  –  Gheorghiu

 

Also from Manon. A wonderful Duet with Roberto Alagna. The Grieux appears. He addresses Manon and falls immortally in love  at the first blink of her eye.

Je sais votre nom  –  Gheorghiu / Alagna

 

The letter scene from Manon. Manon and Des Grieux live in a small apartment in Paris. Des Grieux wrote a letter to his father asking for his permission to marry. Listen to this duet, introduced by the love motive which sounds in the strings.

On l’appelle Manon – Gheorghiu / Alagna

 

Angela Gheorghiu in the famous Aria from Massenet’s Manon.

Allons! …  Adieu, notre petite table

 

The scene from Manon where she secucts the priest Des Grieux. Perhaps the version with the greatest art of seduction of all Manons. Excellent.

N’est-ce plus les mains  –  Gheorgiu / Alagna

 

From la Boheme: It shows that the Romanian singer is not only an excellent singer, but also a talented actress.

Mi chiamano Mimi

 

Musetta’s Waltz from La Boheme.

Quando m’em vo

 

An expressive interpretation of the aria “D’amor sull’ali rosee” from Il Trovatore. An interpretation marked by pain and agitation.

D’amor sull’ali rosee (6)  –  Gheorghiu

 

Once again in an impressive television recording from La Boheme.

Donde lieta usci

 

Angela Gheorghiu offers a thrilling and intense performance of Michaela’s aria from Carmen. Sung in perfect French.

Je dis que rien ne m’épouvante

 

The great love duet from Madama Butterfly with Angela Gheorghiu and Jonas Kaufmann. Especially remarkable is the great and transparent orchestra sound of Pappano.

Bimba dagli occhi – Gheorghiu / Kaufmann

 

With great playfulness and beautiful voice we first hear Angela Gheorghiu in this great Aria from Gounod’s Faust.

Ah! je ris de me voir – Gheorghiu

 

We hear a expressive interpretation from Angela Gheorghiu of this Aria from Verdi’s ballo in maschera.

Morro ma prima in grazia  –  Gheorghiu

 

From Turandot you will hear the aria of Liu in a convincing version. She sings the aria in a lyrical, warm tone.

Tu che di gel sei cinta

 

Amelia’s aria from “Un ballo in maschera” is a introverted piece, accompanied by a solo cello. After the drama of the previous scenes, the contrast to this resting point is immense. Amelia’s voice never goes beyond a mezzaforte until the last bars. The singers must show great feelings, close to tears over longer passages. After this great effort, the last page of this aria with the repeated repetition of “mai piu vedrà” has to be mastered with difficult jumps to B flat and C flat. We hear a more expressive interpretation from Angela Gheorghiu

Morro ma prima in grazia  –  Gheorghiu

 

Most of this opera is written for a lirico-spinto soprano, a dramatic soprano that can faithfully represent the entire spectre of feelings: She must depict the innocence of the young woman, then the lover of Faust, the faithful churchgoer, then the tragically abandoned and finally the insane, imprisoned. In this aria, the music of the coquettish young woman, spiked with ornamentation, is added. So this piece requires the voice of a lyrical coloratura soprano.

This wide range of requirements makes Marguerite one of the most demanding roles in opera literature and is therefore difficult to fill. The famous British singer critic John Stean wrote in 1971 that in the history documented by records only four female singers could cover this entire vocal spectrum: Lili Lehmann, Rosa Ponselle, Maria Callas and Montserrat Caballé. There are recordings of this opera by two of these singers.

With great playfulness and beautiful voice we first hear Angela Gheorghiu.

Ah! je ris de me voir – Gheorghiu

 

This duet from “Simon Boccanegra” pearl. Verdi knew painfully about the significance of this scene, this emotional daughter-father moment, as he lost his only children at an early age.  When the two recognize each other as father and daughter, the music literally explodes. For the end of this duet, Verdi came up with something very special. After the two say goodbye in high spirits, the music fades with a harp solo and the father sings a last tender “figlia” with a high F.

Orfanella in tetto umile  –  Gheorghiu / Hampson

 

Angela Gheorghius Pace Pace aus 2008 lässt diese Arie aus “La forza del destino” in grossem Glanz erstrahlen.

Pace, pace mio Dio  –  Gehorghiu

 

 

Peter Lutz, opera-inside, the online opera guide to Angela Gheorghiu

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