"And this woman invited us in her bedroom"

Part II of the interview in Tabu Magazine. As the interview is long and you probably don't have to much time to read blogs every day, I'll post smaller parts. And in the end I'll put all of it on a separate page.

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I was face to face with the woman whose divine voice made kings and presidents cheer. Face to face with the soprano for whose Traviata BBC stopped the regular program. Face to face with the artist for whom directors such as Franco Zefirelli or Richard Eyre are ready to jump on a plane an go to the other side of the world to work together for a new production. And this woman spontaneously invited us in her bedroom.
Her assistant, Florentina Bucos, showed the way to the room. The most private part of the house was about to become our “office” for the next hours. She was going to try the outfits for Tabu photo shooting.
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We were privileged. Angela’s fans, those who are waiting for hours to get an autograph, would have given anything to be here or just to know how the place looks like.

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I spread the dresses on the large bed, letting them cover the royal velvet bed spread. I put the shoes on the soft carpet. I smiled seeing the "Toma Caragiu" movie collection near the TV and I admired the gramophone stylishly placed on a marble pillar next to the balcony door. I smiled seeing some fluffy, bear faced slippers near the wall, next to a guitar box full of stickers.
Even if it hadn't been for the wooden commode with mysterious small boxes from all over the world on top of it, even if I hadn't spotted the annotated scores on the chair next to the bed, I would still have known that we are inside the bedroom of a diva. From the beige curtains to the pillows on the armchair next to the bed, everything suggested voluptuousness and indulgence.
"Shall I try them?" she plainly asked us when she entered the bedroom and saw tens of outfits. Laura politely suggested that she can try them only if she feels necessary. "oh, no, if we must choose, then we try them" she said throwing the tassel cap in the middle of the bed. With this playful gesture Angela Gheorghiu was ready to try the first dress. And so it started an amazing show of non verbal language.
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Seeing Angela looking in the mirror when trying a new outfit I realized that when she takes a decision she follows her instinct. If the shoulders became steady and the arms slightly strained it was a sign, before any other word, that it’s a dress that fits her. Then she rose on her toes as if wearing high heels, figuring out the complete image. Seconds after, the brain was in charge. Angela’s face was changing – smile, toughness, amusement – looking for an emotion to match the dress. Only after that she uttered the words that confirmed the choice of the outfit.
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The perfect figure is not a surprise. When she was a girl and she was called Gina, Angela Gheorghiu learnt good manners and high class. “Stay straight” “Don’t cross the legs so much” told her mother almost every day, watching her posture. Today, Angela Gheorghiu’s elegance is appreciated by famous designers such as Oscar de la Renta, who became her friend.

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“You look incredibly well” I told her while she was dressing a black bodysuit that strongly emphasized her waist. “I know. It’s time for compliments” she said, not being convinced of what I had said. “No, it was not a compliment. It was a support for another question related to a preconception about women singing opera.”. “I’m listening” she said while her brown eyes were looking through me. “In your world you are an exception regarding the line. Do extra kilos help the technique, the volume of the voice?” Her eyes smiled but her face remained serious, focused on the bodysuit she was getting into. “No. God puts a voice in any body he wants. You can’t possibly know where you’ll find it”. And she started to close the hooks of the bodysuit.

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