Don Jose Kills Carmen: Angela Gheorghiu and Roberto Alagna Divorce

Opera's Bonnie and Clyde kill the whole deal

THE DRAMA= THE KARMA: The Bonnie and Clyde of Opera managed to stay married for 13 years and caused a whole lot of drama doing it. When I saw Roberto Alagna and his wife Angela Gheorghiu in this Prospect Park concert 2 years ago, I had no idea they were separated. However, In Gheorghiu’s statement on her website she says: that they had been separated for the last 2-years. You couldn’t tell anything was wrong. However, the stress of being banned from the MET twice; being fired by Joseph Volpe for refusing to wear a red wig as Violetta.(I sided with her on this one myself though... she should have been free to make that artistic choice); him walking off the stage during the 1st act of Verdi’s Aida at LaScala after being booed for cracking a high note; then singing for 7 days outside the opera house while the show was going on with the replacement tenor; Miss Thang leaving her post at Chicago Lyric Opera’s Violetta to go hear her husband sing Rodolpho next to Netrebko’s Mimi at the MET to make sure they weren’t doing it; then being dropped by Royal Opera house; then Whatever!! Puleeze!! Endless unnessasary dramas! These problems I'm sure, put stress on the marriage .For whatever reasons these two carried on THE DRAMA HAD TO STOP!! GROWN PEOPLE DO NOT ACT LIKE THIS!! Save the drama for the stage.

THE ANTICS = ARTISTIC STAGNATION: These two have carried on so horribly they’ve almost torpedoed their own careers. Alagna was supposed to be the next Pavarotti, but it seems that Juan Diego Florez’s career has eclipsed his somewhat. Gheorghiu’s career and beauty has been eclipsed somewhat by Anna Netrebko who basically sings the exact same repertoire and in the same fach.

THE RISE OF THE SUPERSTAR DUO = THE FALL OF GRACIOUSNESS: However, they did bring something to the world of opera – The Superstar Duo. We will miss that. I for one am in love with Alagna. And I hear he has a half black girlfriend who looks like a dancer and remains in his dressing room while he’s on stage. Well, its obvious that his wife found out about the relationships he was having on the side. Lets face it. Life is hard for opera singers….they’re on the road forever. The whole idea of their doing Carmen at the MET together in the same cast was so they could be in New York together during rehearsals and during the shows. And then do backstage interviews about how they like to make love real hard before going onstage. We wont miss that.....

SHE STOLE MY CARMEN =MEZZO'S GET IN HERE: When Gheorghiu announced that she was going to be singing Carmen at the MET, every mezzo who sings Carmen got punched in the face. POW! Take that mezzo's. Of all the repertoire the lyric soprano has access to – why in the world would she insist on singing the bread and butter of the mezzo roles – Carmen? I mean mezzos don’t have that much music to sing compared to sopranos, so why was this important to her. And this was announced at least 5 years ago that Gheorghiu was going to sing her first Carmen at the MET– which killed opportunities for all mezzo-sopranos (just think of how many mezzo’s she stole this possibility/opportunity from ). And fans bought into it. And I don’t blame them. If she says she can sing the hell out of Carmen then I believe her too. I want to see what she can do in the role too. It was pure ego driven. Gheorghiu managed to manipulate Peter Gelb into staging a production of Carmen for her which she cancelled 6 shows out of 8? Hold on... she cancels 6 shows out of 8 shows because she doesn't want to sing onstage with her husband??...then divorces her husband so she can live her life in peace and tranquility?? What about the patrons who bought all these tickets in advanced expecting her to sing? She probably really cancelled because it was messing up her top and the bottom was sounding thin . I mean lets face it: Bizet wrote Carmen for mezzos. I bet she cancels the last two too. Mezzo's get in here. Netrebko on the other hand said she would never sing Carmen because its A MEZZO ROLE.

2 SINGERS + MARRIED = CRAZY A** PEOPLE: Maybe this divorce will be good for opera. Maybe it will free up much of the karma’s that has followed them and thus opera houses all over the world…and maybe some real mezzo’s can get in there and sing Carmen at the MET. I’m sure being married to another musician singer made her a little crazy and neurotic. I do not recommend that. I wish them all the best.

UPDATE: In a statement from her relayed by the MET Ms Gheorghiu implied that she was not ready for the role. She has postposed her Carmen debut.