+++
date = "2017-02-03T12:58:00+00:00"
discipline = "Soprano"
lastmod = "2017-02-03T13:01:00+00:00"
primary_image = "https://res.cloudinary.com/schmopera/image/upload/v1545409169/media/webhook-uploads/1486126434627/2017-02-02---Angela_Gheorgiu_pc_Cosmin_Gogu.jpg.jpg"
primary_image_credit = "Cosmin Gogu"
publishDate = "2017-02-03T13:01:00+00:00"
related_companies = ["scene/companies/royal-opera-house.md","scene/companies/the-metropolitan-opera.md","scene/companies/teatro-alla-scala.md","scene/companies/wiener-staatsoper.md","scene/companies/bayerische-staatsoper.md","scene/companies/salzburg-festival.md","scene/companies/san-francisco-opera.md"]
slug = "angela-gheorghiu"
title = "Angela Gheorghiu"
website = "http://www.angelagheorghiu.com/"
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+++

Superstar Angela Gheorghiu, the most glamorous and gifted opera singer of our time, was born in the small Romanian town Adjud. From early childhood it was obvious that she will become a singer, her destiny was the music. She attended the Music School in Bucharest and graduated the National University of Music Bucharest, where she studied with the remarkable music teacher Mia Barbu. Ms. Gheorghiu’s magnificent voice and dazzling stage presence have established her as a unique international opera superstar.

Angela Gheorghiu made her international debut in 1992 at Royal Opera House Covent Garden with La Bohème. In the same year she made her debut at the Metropolitan Opera New York and at the Vienna State Opera. It was in the Royal Opera House Covent Garden that she first sang her much acclaimed *La Traviata* in 1994, when the BBC cleared out its schedules to broadcast the opera. At one rehearsal the conductor Sir Georg Solti said: “I was in tears. I had to go out. The girl is wonderful. She can do everything.” The performance was also filmed and recorded by Decca. Newspapers and magazines noticed that “A star is born”. Since then Ms Gheorghiu has been in constant demand in opera houses and concert halls around the world: New York, London, Paris, Salzburg, Berlin, Tokyo, Rome, Seoul, Venice, Athens, Monte Carlo, Chicago, Philadelphia,(with Philadelphia Orchestra) Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Valencia, Palermo, Balbeck, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, Zürich, Vienna, Salzburg, Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Prague, Montreal, Moscow, Taipei, San Juan, Ljubljana.

Her first exclusive recording contract was signed in 1995 with Decca for whom she made several recordings: on DVD: *La Traviata* with the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, L’elisir d’amore with Orchestre de l’Opéra de Lyon, La Boheme with Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala di Milano, and on CD: *Arias* with the Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, Verdi Heroines with the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano “Giuseppe Verdi”, My World and Mysterium with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Her next exclusive recording agreement was signed in 1998 with EMI Classics. She recorded an album of duets and arias with Roberto Alagna and the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, Puccini’s rarely recorded opera La Rondine with London Symphony Orchestra, Gounod’s *Romeo et Juliette* with Orchestre National du Capitole du Toulouse and for the second album of duets with Roberto Alagna, *Verdi per due*, she worked together with Berliner Philharmoniker, conducted by Claudio Abbado.

Other EMI recordings are: Puccini’s *Gianni Schicchi* from *Il Trittico*, Massenet’s *Werther* with London Symphony Orchestra, Massenet’s Manon with Orchestre Symphonique de la Monnaie Brussels, Verdi’s *Il Trovatore* with London Symphony Orchestra and Bizet’s *Carmen* with Orchestre National du Capitole du Toulouse, the concert for Queen Beatrix’s Jubilee in Amsterdam (April 2005, CD and DVD) and the recital at Teatro alla Scala di Milano.

Her recital *Casta Diva* was followed by a live recording of *Classics on a Summer’s Evening*, the concert performed alongside with Staatskapelle Dresden, by Verdi’s *Requiem* with Berliner Philharmoniker and by the recital at the Royal Opera House in 2001, all released both on CD and DVD. The recording of a recital of Puccini arias in 2008 proved once more Ms. Gheorghiu’s profound musicality.

Angela Gheorghiu’s latest releases are the complete opera recordings of *L’Amico Fritz* by Pietro Mascagni and *Fedora* by Umberto Giordano (both with Deutsche Grammophon). The live performance of *La Rondine* in the Metropolitan Opera (2009) as well as Faust from Royal Opera House (2004)were released on DVD by EMI Classics in 2011. *Adriana Lecouvreur* (a Royal Opera House production recorded in 2010) was released on DVD in 2012.

In November 2011 Angela Gheorghiu released *Homage to Maria Callas*, a collection of beloved opera arias from French and Italian repertoire inspired by Maria Callas’s career and recordings (Marco Armiliato conducts the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).

In March 2014 Warner released the anniversary box “Angela Gheorghiu- the Autograph Collection” containing 8 CDs and 1 DVD. All her CDs have received widespread critical acclaim and have been awarded many prizes such as Gramophone Awards, Diapason d’Or Awards, Choc du Monde de la Musique in France, Cecilia Prize in Belgium, Deutsche Schallplattenkritik-Preis in Germany, the Echo Award, the Italian Musica e dischi Foreign Lyric Production Award, the USA Critics’ Award etc. Mrs Gheorghiu won the title of “Female Artist of the Year” at the Classical Brit Awards in 2001 and 2010.

In 1999 she took part with great success in a concert “Michael Jackson and Friends” in Munich. Mrs. Gheorghiu sang at the reopening of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden (December 1999) and Teatro Malibran in Venice (23 May 2001) and at the opening new opera house in Valencia in the presence of the Queen Sofia of Spain (October 2005) . She sang at the historic performance Prom at the Palace on June,1, 2002 which marked the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, a concert that is also available on DVD. She sang for HRH Prince of Wales on different occasions. In 2003 she performed at the Nobel Peace Prize Concert.

In December 2000 Ms Gheorghiu performed the title role in *Tosca*, the movie directed by Benoit Jacquot. The film was released in theatres around the world and received popular and critical acclaim: “She is one of the most sensuous Toscas imaginable… Angela Gheorghiu’s passion and beauty are ideal for Tosca, as if the best qualities of Callas’ and Tebaldi’s portrayals had come together.” (Opera News, USA). Angela Gheorghiu attended the Venice Film Festival in 2001 when the movie was premiered. Ms. Gheorghiu also interpreted Juliette in the movie *Romeo et Juliette* released on DVD by Online Classics.

Among major appearances in the last ten years were the much acclaimed performances of *La Rondine* and *Pagliacci* at the Royal Opera House, *Romeo et Juliette* at the Choregies d’Orange and Salzburg Festival, *Faust* at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Royal Opera House and Monte Carlo Opera, *Simon Boccanegra* at the Royal Opera House. There were also recitals in Salzburg (Salzburg Festival) and in Vienna (Musikverein) and concerts in Amsterdam (Queen Beatrix Jubilee Gala), in New York (the New Year’s Eve concert with the New York Philharmonic), Philadelphia (with Philadelphia Orchestra) and Los Angeles, Vancouver and Toronto (April 2011), Seoul, Shanghai, Valladolid (May 2011) in London at O2 Arena together with Placido Domingo (July 2011), a concert for the opening of Katara Amphitheater in Doha, Qatar in December 2011 (performing in a piece especially composed for this event by Vangelis), concert in Oman (April 2012) and a gala concert at Teatro Colon Buenos Aires (April 2012). All these appearances earned spectacular reviews.

In January 2006 she triumphed with *La Traviata* at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Three months later, in April, she made her debut in Teatro alla Scala in Milano with a recital, in May she opened the Film Festival in Cannes. In June 2006 she made her stage debut in *Tosca* at the Royal Opera House in London in a new production that was dedicated to her. Then she returned to the Vienna State Opera for performances of *La Boheme* (November 2007) and to the Metropolitan Opera a run of *Simon Boccanegra* and a gala performance of *La Traviata* (March 2007).

Angela Gheorghiu performed again in *La Traviata* in Rome and Milano in 2007. She also had some much-acclaimed concerts in Paris (Salle Pleyel and Palais Garnier) and in Los Angeles. In September 2007 she performed the title role in the world premiere of the opera *Marius et Fanny* by Vladimir Cosma at Marseille Opera. Then she sang a series of much-praised performances of La Rondine in San Francisco. When Ms. Gheorghiu sang *La Boheme* at the Metropolitan in New York, the performance was transmitted in theatres to an audience of over one million and five hundred thousand people. Other performances broadcasted in theatres were *La Traviata* in Milan and in Rome and La Rondine in San Francisco and New York.

The new Royal Opera House Cinema Season 2011/12 relayed in hundreds of theaters around the world started with three productions having Angela Gheorghiu in the title role: *Faust*, broadcast live (September 2011), *Adriana Lecouvreur* (October 2011) and *Tosca* (November 2011).

In 2010 she made her much-acclaimed debut in Cilea’s *Adriana Lecouvreur*, a new production of the Royal Opera House Covent Garden. The Observer wrote: “It’s hard to imagine anyone bettering Angela Gheorghiu in this part. Her voice, feather-light and creamy yet with a core of steel, matches the liquid way she moves on stage. She’s a natural actress and made the improbable death scene heartbreakingly believable and her signature aria “Poveri fiori” simply unforgettable.” 

In July 2011 she sung the title role in *Tosca* with a stellar cast led by Antonio Pappano. In September 2011 she came back to London for the revival of *Faust*, performance broadcast live in cinemas. In June 2012 Angela Gheorghiu celebrated 20 years from her debut at Royal Opera House in London performing in La Boheme. In the last years Ms. Gheorghiu had performances of *Adriana Lecouvreur*, *Tosca* and *La Bohème* in Vienna, Paris and London, as well as concerts in Amsterdam, London, Prague, Munich, Hamburg and Vienna (Konzerthaus) and various recitals. In March 2015 year she made her debut in the role of Charlotte in Massenet’s *Werther*. In August 2015 she sang Werther at the Salzburger Festspiele and a concert in Grafenegg (Austria). In January 2016 she came back to the Royal Opera House with *Tosca*, an opera she also performed in the Vienna Staatsoper in February and April 2016.

All these performances and recitals have confirmed Ms. Gheorghiu’s status as one of the most beloved stars of opera.

Ms. Gheorghiu was honoured with “La Medaille Vermeille de la Ville de Paris” and she was appointed an “Officier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” and “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture and by her native country Romania. In December 2010 she was awarded the honorific title of “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the University of Arts in Iasi (Romania) and the “Star of Romania”, the highest decoration given by the by the President of Romania. In October 2012 she was conferred the “Nihil Sine Deo” royal decoration from His Majesty King Michael I for promoting Romanian cultural values abroad. In October 2014 she was awarded the title “Doctor Honoris Causa” by the Music Academy “Gheorghe Dima” of Cluj-Napoca (Romania).

Future engagements include various concerts in Europe and North America, as well as opera performances in London (*Adriana Lecouvreur*), Vienna (*Tosca*), Buenos Aires (*Adriana Lecouvreur*), and Palermo (*Adriana Lecouvreur*).
