ANGELA GHEORGHIU
Soprano
Angela Gheorghiu was born in Adjud, Romania, and graduated from the Bucharest Music Academy. She studied with the wonderful teacher Mia Barbu. Her magnificent voice and dazzling stage presence have established her as a unique international opera star. She made her international debut in 1992 at Covent Garden with La Bohème. She made her debut in the Metropolitan Opera New York and in the Staatsoper Vienna in the same year. It was in Covent Garden that she first sang her much acclaimed La Traviata in 1994, when the BBC cleared out its schedules to broadcast the opera. The performance was also filmed and recorded by Decca. 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, Sao Paolo, Los Angeles, Lisbon, Palermo, Balbeck, Amsterdam, Kuala Lumpur, Zürich, Vienna, Madrid, Montreal.
Her first exclusive recording contract was signed 1995 with Decca for whom she made several recordings and videos / DVDs: La Traviata with the Orchestra of the ROH Covent Garden, L’elisir d’amore with the Orchestra of Opera de Lyon, La Boheme with the Orchestra Filarmonica del Teatro Scala di Milano and the recitals Arias with the Orchestra del Teatro Regio di Torino, Verdi Heroines with the Orchestra Filarmonica “Giuseppe Verdi” di Milano, My World and Mysterium with the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
Her next exclusive recording agreement was signed in 1998 with EMI Classics. She first recorded an album of Duets and Arias with Roberto Alagna and the Orchestra of the ROH Covent Garden, then she recorded Puccini’s rarely-recorded opera La Rondine with the London Symphony Orchestra, Gounod’s Romeo et Juliette with the Orchestra Capitol du Toulouse and a second album of duets with Roberto Alagna, Verdi per due with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra. Other EMI recordings are: Gianni Schicchi from Il Trittico, Massenet’s Werther with the London Symphony Orchestra, Massenet’s Manon with the Symphonic Orchestra de la Monnaie Bruxelles, Verdi’s Il Trovatore with the London Symphony Orchestra and Bizet’s Carmen with the Orchestra Capitol du Toulouse. Her recital Casta Diva was followed by a live recording of her concert with the Staatskapelle Dresden Classics on a Summer’s Evening on CD and DVD, by the Verdi Requiem with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra and by her 2001 ROH Covent Garden recital, both on CD and 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. At the Classical Brit Award in 2001 she won the title of Female Artist of the Year.
In December 2000 Ms Gheorghiu started filming Tosca. The film was released in cinemas around the world: “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).
Ms. Gheorghiu interpreted Juliette in the movie Romeo et Juliette for Online Classics on DVD and sang at the historic performance at the Proms at the Palace on June 1 to mark the Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II, also available on DVD.
Among major appearances in the last two years were the much acclaimed performances of La Rondine and Pagliacci in the ROH Covent Garden, performances of Romeo et Juliette at the Choregies d’Orange and at the Festival of Salzburg, performances of Faust at the MET in New York, in a new production at the ROH Covent Garden, performances of Simon Boccanegra at the ROH Covent Garden and major recitals in Seoul in South Korea, in Athens, in the Vatican and at the Salzburg Festival, in Rotterdam and Bruxelles.
The year 2005 has started with performances of Faust at the Monte Carlo Opera and concerts in Vienna (Musikverein) and Amsterdam (Queen Beatrix Jubilee Gala) and will continue with performances of L’elisir d’amore in Barcelona, of La Boheme in the ROH Covent Garden and in Orange, performances of Pagliacci in Los Angeles and with an Opera Gala at the MET (opening of the season).
In future, she will also appear in Lucia di Lammermoor, Adriana Lecouvreur, Tosca, Lucrezia Borgia, Don Carlos and Don Giovanni.
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 a “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture and by her native country Romania.
This biography was provided by the artist or their representative.
