Alagna caught in the act on video

For a hilarious version of Roberto Alagna leaving La Scala follow this link

For more hot-headed Latins read my Reflections on the Philadelphia Orchestra. With thanks to Antoine Leboyer. Any copyrighted material on these pages is included as "fair use", for the purpose of study, review or critical analysis only, and will be removed at the request of copyright owner(s). Report broken links, missing images and other errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

Comments

Pliable said…
Email from Paris

As I send you the link, I have to add a few comments,:

I have quite a lot of respect for Alagna as a signer. Bohème in Paris with his wife was pretty good (with a very moving Act 3 ending ... ) and his Chatelet-based Don Carlos with Mattila, Hampson, Van Dam under Pappano and staged by Bondy was superb. In the last years, he has had a tendency to force his voice, making us concerned that he wants to sing Otello.

Based on the video, his last b is a little flat and not very piano. However, I have heard much much worse ... OK, it is not possible to make a sound judgment on so short an excerpt ...

I can really sympathise with artists and especially singers who are living a very tough life. Provided you are ready to sacrifice family life, it is great if you are Domingo, Pavarotti, Freni, ..., very difficult if you are just one tiny notch below. Audiences of the world, think next time you go to a Zeffereli staging of any opera with singers of our time who may never approach vocal statures of giants of the past.

But should a singer, any singer, leave in the middle like this: no way. The show must go on.

Antoine Leboyer
9:51 pm
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