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News Tue Oct 02 2007
Don't mess with Lyric
Lyric Opera of Chicago made international news last week when they sacked star soprano Angela Gheorghiu just a few days before the début performance of La Bohème last night for behaving too diva-ish. Gheorghiu missed 6 of 10 rehearsals, including both rehearsals with the first orchestra, and is apparently known (along with her opera singer husband) for throwing tantrums.
But this was great news for her understudy, Elaine Alvarez, who received a stellar review in the Chicago Tribune today. Before last night, she had never performed with a major opera company.
General Director Bill Mason said in a statement that "it is with tremendous regret and sadness that we are compelled to take this action, but Miss Gheorghiu's actions have shown total disregard for Lyric Opera's dedicated personnel and for her fellow artists."
"Miss Gheorghiu has missed 6 of 10 rehearsals, including the piano dress rehearsal and both staging rehearsals with the orchestra. She missed one of the most critical stage-orchestra rehearsals when she left the city for New York without permission, a direct violation of her contract."
When Luciano Pavarotti died a few weeks ago, the fact that Lyric fired him in 1989 for missing 26 of 41 performances was very often included in remembrances of him in media around the world. Ouch. But we all secretly love it.
