This is the piece of news in the interview published today in Adevarul. The interview is signed by Simona Chitan. Angela dosesn't say when, but it's good to know that the contract is signed. The online version of the interview is HERE.
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I translated only some parts. The rest of the interview is about feelings regarding La Traviata at ROH, about other Traviatas in Angela's career, about Grigolo and how well he sounds in Manon.
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Roberto Alagna said in an interview that back in 2007 you weren’t interested anymore in the traditional roles such as Aida or Butterfly. Have you changed you mind also about Traviata?
Maybe he said I don’t want to sing Aida, Butterfly or Manon on stage. It’s true, there are some roles that I prefer only to record. But it’s different with Traviata. It’s a role I always perform with great pleasure. The truth is that Roberto hasn’t sung in La Traviata since 1996 when we both performed in this production I do know in Covent Garden. It’s normal for an artist to prefer a certain role. We have to respect each other’s choice. Just as a coincidence, a few days ago I signed a new contract for La Traviata and other roles at the State Opera in Vienna.
[...]
In April, Leonard Slatkin gave up conducting Zefirelli’s La Traviata in New York, complaining of your behavior to the press. What happened?
It’s the first time I answer this question, when I explain this imaginary story. I appreciate Leonard a lot, his activity in symphonic music. I think he wanted to find an excuse for his leaving which surprised me too. I would have never conducted Traviata because initially there was another opera scheduled. It was a contemporary American opera composed by a friend of m ine, John Corigliano: “The Ghosts of Versailles”. This is what was written in our agendas. A few months before the premiere, Peter Gelb, the General manager of the Metropotlitan, who is known for last minute changing of productions, called me and asked me to sing another role from my repertoire. The condition was to have the same baritone, Thomas Hampson, and the same conductor, Leonard Slatkin. They both had signed for The Ghost of Versailles. I thought of Franco Zefirelli’s La Traviata. Peter Gelb agreed and suggested the titles to the other two colleagues. This is how they became part of the cast.
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Maybe he said I don’t want to sing Aida, Butterfly or Manon on stage. It’s true, there are some roles that I prefer only to record. But it’s different with Traviata. It’s a role I always perform with great pleasure. The truth is that Roberto hasn’t sung in La Traviata since 1996 when we both performed in this production I do know in Covent Garden. It’s normal for an artist to prefer a certain role. We have to respect each other’s choice. Just as a coincidence, a few days ago I signed a new contract for La Traviata and other roles at the State Opera in Vienna.
[...]
In April, Leonard Slatkin gave up conducting Zefirelli’s La Traviata in New York, complaining of your behavior to the press. What happened?
It’s the first time I answer this question, when I explain this imaginary story. I appreciate Leonard a lot, his activity in symphonic music. I think he wanted to find an excuse for his leaving which surprised me too. I would have never conducted Traviata because initially there was another opera scheduled. It was a contemporary American opera composed by a friend of m ine, John Corigliano: “The Ghosts of Versailles”. This is what was written in our agendas. A few months before the premiere, Peter Gelb, the General manager of the Metropotlitan, who is known for last minute changing of productions, called me and asked me to sing another role from my repertoire. The condition was to have the same baritone, Thomas Hampson, and the same conductor, Leonard Slatkin. They both had signed for The Ghost of Versailles. I thought of Franco Zefirelli’s La Traviata. Peter Gelb agreed and suggested the titles to the other two colleagues. This is how they became part of the cast.
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Still, where did the conflict start from?
I think the only one who had a problem was Leonard Slatkin, who had never conducted La Traviata before. Although the rehearslas went on perfectly, we were all shocked when we heard he quitted after the first performance. Maybe it was a health issue for him. In short, all the other performances went well with other three conductors that joined the performances without rehearsals. I talk about Stephen White, Marco Armiliato and Yves Abel, the one that conducts La Traviata in Covent Garden these days.
[...]
In October last year you announced the divorce from Roberto Alagna, whom you have been married to for 14 years. Is your relationship with Roberto really over?
Everything that’s being written or thought of is far away from the truth. Sometimes it makes me laugh. I talk to Roberto every day, we support each other, we understand each other, we love each other’s work and we’ll see what happens in the future. Roberto insists that we have to be together and he doesn’t want to head about the divorce. We’ll see… Life sets things out without in ways we don’t even imagine. I never mix up my personal life with the professional life. I adopted Ioana, my sister’s daughter, she makes me happy and I’m very proud of her.
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How has the breakup from Roberto affected your career?
My professional life went on as scheduled. I know my program till 2015 – 2016. The balance in the family is important, but not essential. I noticed hundred of thousands of artist in history who changed because of the profession. This way of life and our schedule make us have different reference points and we follow other laws. We act, we pretend and we wish to be normal people. But this doesn’t happen too often. Everything would be impossible within your family if the career doesn't go well. Private and professional lives can’t be treated equally when speaking of artists.
I think the only one who had a problem was Leonard Slatkin, who had never conducted La Traviata before. Although the rehearslas went on perfectly, we were all shocked when we heard he quitted after the first performance. Maybe it was a health issue for him. In short, all the other performances went well with other three conductors that joined the performances without rehearsals. I talk about Stephen White, Marco Armiliato and Yves Abel, the one that conducts La Traviata in Covent Garden these days.
[...]
In October last year you announced the divorce from Roberto Alagna, whom you have been married to for 14 years. Is your relationship with Roberto really over?
Everything that’s being written or thought of is far away from the truth. Sometimes it makes me laugh. I talk to Roberto every day, we support each other, we understand each other, we love each other’s work and we’ll see what happens in the future. Roberto insists that we have to be together and he doesn’t want to head about the divorce. We’ll see… Life sets things out without in ways we don’t even imagine. I never mix up my personal life with the professional life. I adopted Ioana, my sister’s daughter, she makes me happy and I’m very proud of her.
.
How has the breakup from Roberto affected your career?
My professional life went on as scheduled. I know my program till 2015 – 2016. The balance in the family is important, but not essential. I noticed hundred of thousands of artist in history who changed because of the profession. This way of life and our schedule make us have different reference points and we follow other laws. We act, we pretend and we wish to be normal people. But this doesn’t happen too often. Everything would be impossible within your family if the career doesn't go well. Private and professional lives can’t be treated equally when speaking of artists.
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