Angela Gheorghiu

Speaker 10:00

Hello, I'm Kirsty Young, and this is a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For rights reasons we've had to shorten the music. The programme was originally broadcast in two thousand and four, and the presenter was Sue Lawley.

Presenter0:31

My castaway this week is an opera singer. Born and brought up in Roumania under the Ceaușescu regime, she was already a star in her own country when he was driven from power. His fall gave her more opportunities, and within a couple of years she'd made her debut at Covent Garden as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme. Since then she's become one of the best known and best loved opera stars, her beauty and her voice combining to make her an almost perfect performer in the great roles of the repertoire.

Presenter1:00

And the on stage magic is enhanced by the off stage romance, her relationship with the famous tenor whom she met when singing Boheme and whom she married when his wife died of a fatal illness. Her life, it seems, is like her art. It's pure opera. She is Angela Giorgio. That's how it looks from the outside, Angela. It has to be said. I mean, you are something of a kind of Puccini heroine. There's been so much drama and passion in your life. Is that how it feels from the inside?

Presenter1:28

I am

Angela Gheorghiu1:28

I came from Romania from um hard time, and Ceusescu time you you just mentioned. But in the same period there are not only the bad things I remember, you know, for the artists in that time I remember good, wonderful moments. That's all it m remains in on my head. And then

Presenter1:50

And you found great happiness. You found great romance, great passion. That's my point, really. I mean, it is like a melodrama. Yes, it is.

Angela Gheorghiu1:51

Very good.

Angela Gheorghiu1:52

Yeah, yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu1:54

I mean, it is like a it is

Angela Gheorghiu1:59

Yes, it is. Also also um when I met Roberto in the opera house, it was really I remember the the scene when two people uh meet for the first time and their hands and their eyes was electricity. Exactly that's how it happened with us.

Presenter2:16

But I mean it was like imitating art because it was Bohem. I don't know whether your tiny hand was frozen, but certainly he touched it, he was Rodolfo, you were Mimi. It was kind.

Angela Gheorghiu2:23

He touched it. He was Rodolfo.

Angela Gheorghiu2:25

Theo

Angela Gheorghiu2:26

Kind of love at first sight. Uh no, no, no, it was a love at first sight, not not kind.

Presenter2:32

Oh, I see. It really was.

Angela Gheorghiu2:32

It really was. Yes. We we met in ninety two, in fact, so uh here in Coven Garden singing La Boheme, the same performance, but we decided to be together after two years.

Angela Gheorghiu2:43

Also in Covent Garden.

Angela Gheorghiu2:45

I I was married before

Angela Gheorghiu2:47

We sang in ninety four Roberto Romeo Juliet and Mi Traviata and in that moment we decide to to be together.

Presenter2:58

That was of course a a a huge moment. I mean it was stunning when you sang Mimi, which was your debut, but when you sang Traviotta in'ninety four' I think everyone said, you know, a star is born.

Angela Gheorghiu2:58

Uh

Presenter3:09

Was it always your intention to be an international star? Did you know that that was what you were born to do? Yes, yes.

Angela Gheorghiu3:16

In fact, the truth is, I'm just following my destiny. I need to do that. I'm obliged to do it. I always done. That's why you were given the voice. Maybe. That's not only the voice, you know. I'm I'm absolutely sure.

Angela Gheorghiu3:31

You must to have a aureol, I don't know how can I call that, that's something special around you. Aura. Auro, exactly.

Presenter3:39

Aura

Angela Gheorghiu3:41

A thing you can't explain and it's impossible to learn from school.

Angela Gheorghiu3:46

you have no teacher to g to give with that. So

Angela Gheorghiu3:50

Shame of me. I always realize that, that I have that something. I don't know if it's good or bad, but something I have around me. I always feel it. I saw this, you know, people's eyes around me, family, teachers, and then public. And I feel that I I I'm obliged to share. I'm just happy to give what

Angela Gheorghiu4:16

Maybe somebody else gave it to me. Tell me about your first record. My first record.

Angela Gheorghiu4:22

I'll try to explain you.

Angela Gheorghiu4:25

Why I arrived here.

Angela Gheorghiu4:28

and what kind of music I listened when I was little, and what kind of voices gives me my love for art and for music. And my first recording is

Angela Gheorghiu4:39

on my taste, the best baritone voice I ever heard. And here's Nicolai Herla, he is now more than seventy. And I really like to make our

Angela Gheorghiu4:52

Overtour of our uh music with a prologue from Paliacci.

Speaker 25:25

Here comes her to be deceived.

Speaker 25:29

Porascrita technology.

Speaker 25:34

And young

Speaker 25:36

And calling to you

Presenter5:55

Let's start, he says. Nicolai Helia, singing the prologue from Leoncavallo's I Pagliarchi, a baritone and fellow countryman of yours, Angela. It's extraordinary that there seems to have been no musical talent in your family, and yet you and your sister could sing like angels from when you were tiny,

Angela Gheorghiu6:13

Yes. I don't know. It was just uh

Angela Gheorghiu6:18

I I never remember one day of my life uh not singing. So I was so, so little. I sang, I sang with my sister. Our voices though were so, so big.

Angela Gheorghiu6:30

It's so enormous for our our age that uh everybody was sure uh we'll be an opera singer.

Presenter6:36

This was in a small town.

Angela Gheorghiu6:37

Yes, somewhere in Moldavia, exactly. In the middle of Romania. Your father was a train driver. Exactly, exactly. And my mother she was uh

Presenter6:40

Exactly.

Presenter6:42

Father

Angela Gheorghiu6:47

Couturier, you know, um Taylor. I was lucky because when I saw a beautiful dress, someone in a movie or

Presenter6:47

Um

Angela Gheorghiu6:55

She made it coffee for me and I in a in a very, very tough uh moment in Romania, so it was impossible to buy something somewhere because there were no clothes, I mean nothing in the shops. No, no, no, no, about maybe, but some just awful things, like it's impossible to explain. I always saw empty

Presenter7:05

No, no, no.

Angela Gheorghiu7:17

Shops empty, just wait.

Angela Gheorghiu7:19

So did you go hungry as a child? Was the family Yes, uh when I was uh a boarding school.

Presenter7:26

Uh

Angela Gheorghiu7:26

Uh

Presenter7:27

And presumably Forget it. It w it was funny. It's it was funny. It's the way it was. But I mean, I presume whenever there was anything, there was a great cue for them.

Angela Gheorghiu7:35

Yes, and and then you know what? Our food and my food in that period was art in general. I never missed something important in Bucharest. Each night I uh I was on a theater, opera house or movie, uh I never missed a a premiere.

Angela Gheorghiu7:55

It was a lucky, lucky moment.

Presenter7:57

That's the point really. You say you have no choice but to follow this God given talent, this this voice. But was there also a feeling on your part that if you did that you might win yourself some privileges, life might be better, there might be more food or you might go more places?

Angela Gheorghiu8:12

Yes, but I've always been privileged.

Presenter8:15

Hmm.

Angela Gheorghiu8:15

our teachers with was the best, best teachers in in in Bucharest. I mean, everybody in that that period has the the feeling that they must to help Angela.

Angela Gheorghiu8:27

I don't know why.

Angela Gheorghiu8:29

Bah.

Angela Gheorghiu8:31

Record number two, tell me about that. Number two, this lady, she was.

Angela Gheorghiu8:36

beautiful, the most beautiful and important uh singer, popular singer in Romania. Her name is Maria Tanase. And here is a song, a love song, name is Agorida, and the

Angela Gheorghiu8:50

The way she she sings, it's a uh wonderful uh gift to have lagrimat and to have tears in in her voice. And here is Maria Tanasse.

Speaker 29:13

Ah gool.

Presenter9:28

Maria Tanase singing the Romanian love song Agurida. So you left your small town age fourteen. You were sent off to Bucharest, as we've been talking about. You were there, you were at school there, then you were at the music academy there.

Speaker 29:35

Yeah.

Speaker 19:36

Uh

Presenter9:40

Um you began at the same time to make professional appearances, didn't you? What what sort of things did you do? Wha what sort of events did you perform at? I mean, were they political events? I sang

Angela Gheorghiu9:51

For

Angela Gheorghiu9:52

A lot of reasons, if you want. Political reasons, because I was obliged being a student.

Angela Gheorghiu9:59

I sang patriotic music, I sang Romanian music, very difficult, for a lot a lot of occasions. But did you sing for the Ceaușescu song? Of course yes, I sang I sang the first time I sang for Ceausesco, in fact it was not for him, it was for Mikhail Gorbachev, I remember.

Presenter10:09

Oh wait

Angela Gheorghiu10:18

And I remember I s I sang a a wonderful Russian piece.

Angela Gheorghiu10:23

I remember a little story. I was late uh because uh it was impossible to to catch a uh a tram or a uh a bus or something.

Angela Gheorghiu10:32

And everybody even Cheausescu was waiting for me. And I remember it was full of securitatis, people from Securitate to saying to me, Go there, go there, everybody waiting for you, go there. It was absolutely frightening.

Presenter10:46

And that's a good idea.

Angela Gheorghiu10:48

And I had to do it required to do that. Absolutely. So I sang my piece.

Presenter10:48

And I had to do it.

Angela Gheorghiu10:53

More Romanian peace uh

Angela Gheorghiu10:55

Everybody was happy afterwards. And of course, at the same time, they said to me, you must to sing because it's the only way you can participate for a music competition outside of my country.

Presenter11:09

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu11:09

Hmm.

Presenter11:10

Exactly. So you had to you felt that you had to perform when you were asked to perform so that you would be given some kind of licence to travel abroad to compare.

Angela Gheorghiu11:13

Absolutely.

Angela Gheorghiu11:15

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu11:19

Continuing to fish man.

Angela Gheorghiu11:21

Yes, yes, yes, I I was, but not in the way I wanted to. They they never answered me.

Angela Gheorghiu11:28

Never, never even answer yes or no. Well you would ask, but you would never give an answer. No.

Presenter11:32

I am not so

Angela Gheorghiu11:33

They would never say yes or no. Only two times with um the choir when I was student, they asked me to be a um a soloist for them.

Presenter11:34

Oh no.

Angela Gheorghiu11:43

That's why uh they they they said yes, but at the same time I saw b securitate around me, so it was impossible to make one step without uh three or four cops. You were watching all the time, it it was our fault.

Presenter11:53

You were watched the whole time.

Presenter11:57

And then of course uh just after you graduated and you graduated with first class honours, the fall came. The there was the popular uprising, the army were on side and uh you know he fell. You were there, you were in Bucharest. We know there was chaos on the streets. Did you see it?

Speaker 212:12

Uh

Angela Gheorghiu12:12

Yeah, we know that.

Angela Gheorghiu12:15

I s I thought it was awful. It was the most horrible moment of my life, because it it was worse than a war, because I heard all the arms, and you never knew who's who, what's next, who'll be next, he he'll be back, what's happened.

Angela Gheorghiu12:33

And at the same time I I I received in that days my my first telephone call to sing abroad of my country. In in Frankfort is a Romanian impresaglio, her name is Louisa Petrov, and she knew about me.

Angela Gheorghiu12:50

And she just

Angela Gheorghiu12:51

Ah, it's a rev revolution of Romania. So after uh uh two or three days she called me and she invited me to to sing in um in Amsterdam somewhere.

Presenter13:01

But did you realize then that this was a great turning point, that this suddenly you could have the freedom?

Angela Gheorghiu13:07

Everybody was sure something was going to happen.

Presenter13:09

Oh, yes. But did you put those two things together? The call came, Ceachescu had gone. You thought, this is the moment I can now pursue.

Angela Gheorghiu13:16

I was sure I was sure. But all the period all the six years I made an academy of music

Angela Gheorghiu13:22

me and everybody we've been waiting for for the finish, you know.

Presenter13:26

So you must have been really excited in that moment.

Angela Gheorghiu13:28

It was m more than perfect. I mean, it it was exactly in time.

Angela Gheorghiu13:32

Exactly in time, perfect time, perfect time, perfect time, yes.

Presenter13:33

Perfect time.

Angela Gheorghiu13:37

Echo number three.

Angela Gheorghiu13:39

All the time, if I'm uh outside of my country, I go and buy a C D. He's one of the genius of

Angela Gheorghiu13:49

pianist in the past and maybe today. His name is Dinulipati, and he he was a real, real genius. And I'm really glad to discover Chopin vals with Dinulipatti.

Presenter15:06

Dino Lipati, the great Romanian pianist playing part of Chopin's waltz number nine in A Flat. So Ceaușescu had fallen, Angela Giogio, you were free to go wherever your career might lead you, and it was always your dream to audition at the Opera House, so that's what you came and did in the early nineties, yeah. Do you remember what you sang for your

Angela Gheorghiu15:23

Remember

Angela Gheorghiu15:26

Off.

Presenter15:26

Cool.

Angela Gheorghiu15:26

Of course, and I have a nice little story.

Angela Gheorghiu15:30

Now my English just I try to manage, but then it was absolutely a disaster. So I had a little

Angela Gheorghiu15:37

piece of paper, we know. Where is the Opera House Coventada stage door, Flora Street? And I saw a nice man and I s I said, Please do you know where is the opera house Coventada? There, you know, um ten meters on the right side. Thank you very much.

Angela Gheorghiu15:56

So I go inside, I I just wait for the directors to make my audition. And who came inside? The last man I asked, where's the opera house? And from that moment my audition was like a dream. Who was he? Who was he? I tell you immediately, he's still my mentor, he's still my friend and everything in Royal Opera House. His name is Peter Katona. I sing La Boheme.

Speaker 116:11

Who was he? Who was he?

Speaker 116:20

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu16:23

Louise

Angela Gheorghiu16:24

And immediately he gave me a performance.

Angela Gheorghiu16:28

Uh with Labohem?

Angela Gheorghiu16:29

And the coincidence was to sing with Roberto Lani.

Presenter16:34

But it's amazing. I mean, just to walk in, to have an audition and be given the lead role in a

Angela Gheorghiu16:35

To walk in to have a

Angela Gheorghiu16:38

Absolutely.

Presenter16:39

I I always want that. You were what, about twenty six when you finally got sick, weren't you? And it all happened. But I'm right in saying, Auntie, you we we say your debut was in Me Me, but in fact you did go on to the Royal Opera House stage before that, didn't you, John?

Angela Gheorghiu16:42

When you finally got it.

Angela Gheorghiu16:48

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu16:52

Exactly, because I asked Peter Katuna, the Royal Opera House it was very important for me.

Presenter16:52

To try a task.

Angela Gheorghiu16:59

And he understand to give me something

Angela Gheorghiu17:02

much m less important, but only to be in the opera house, to feel the atmosphere, to be here, to to give me courage at the same time.

Angela Gheorghiu17:11

And he gave me a Zerlina from Don Giovanni. Just to give you the feeling. Wonderful, but really it was very, very, very helpful for me.

Speaker 117:15

Uh

Presenter17:15

Just to give you the feeling.

Presenter17:20

What about the other great transition from what had been the Communist East into this kind of abundant capitalist West? I mean, you suddenly turned around and saw everything.

Angela Gheorghiu17:29

Wow, everything

Presenter17:31

I was

Angela Gheorghiu17:31

amazed to see all the colors first with a flower shop.

Angela Gheorghiu17:37

fruit shops, to uh to find everything, to see all these colours. I always made pictures and sent it to my parents, to my family. Look, how beautiful

Angela Gheorghiu17:48

It was a mean fraud

Presenter17:49

To the flowers.

Presenter17:50

And have you got used to it now? Or do you s I mean, I know you like shopping, they say. I don't know, I mean we all like shopping. But I want to. You like, no? I love shopping. But for someone who's been brought up with so little, as you say, I mean, what I'm asking is, does it go on being completely stunning to see this stuff?

Angela Gheorghiu17:52

You should I'm

Angela Gheorghiu17:55

We all like shopping. But I want you to

Speaker 217:58

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu17:59

Of course.

Angela Gheorghiu18:00

Someone who's been

Angela Gheorghiu18:08

Yeah.

Presenter18:09

Always

Angela Gheorghiu18:10

Amazed.

Angela Gheorghiu18:12

And I never stopped to be.

Angela Gheorghiu18:16

with my eyes very, very open, my heart beating very hard and very strong, I became to be used, but impressed, I'm still impressed. Next piece, music, number four.

Angela Gheorghiu18:30

You know, during my study in Bucharest we've been obliged to have another job.

Angela Gheorghiu18:37

I asked the Rector of the Conservatoire to help me in a way.

Angela Gheorghiu18:41

and he called Marin Constantine the conductor of this madrigal, the most important choir in years from Romania,

Angela Gheorghiu18:51

and they engage me and they pay me each month, but never being a singer on this choir. And here you have the Madrigal singing for you.

Speaker 119:14

So baby

Speaker 219:16

I'm not sure if I can do it.

Speaker 219:53

What

Presenter19:57

The Romanian National Chamber Choir, or madrigal choir, founded and conducted by Marine Constantine, singing a composition by the Romanian Nicolae Lungo, called Mariere intrucelli in alte, Glory in the highest. Apparently George Schulte, who of course directed that that great traviata in ninety four, um warned you to look after your voice and concentrate on being a great singer rather than a great star. Have you heeded that warning?

Angela Gheorghiu20:23

In fact

Angela Gheorghiu20:25

He understand me?

Angela Gheorghiu20:29

when we start to rehearse in that that moment.

Angela Gheorghiu20:33

And during my rehearsal, when we know that story really he started to cry like a child, and me singing for the first time George Shorty conducting for the first time. And it was the first time he'd conducted

Presenter20:46

That was the first time he'd conducted the first time.

Angela Gheorghiu20:49

We had the possibility and chance to

Angela Gheorghiu20:53

Show something historical in that moment. And I felt from the very beginning, from

Speaker 120:55

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu21:00

My first rehearsal that was my passport.

Angela Gheorghiu21:03

everybody crying it was something

Angela Gheorghiu21:06

They will never forget. I will never forget that. And from that moment, we understand.

Angela Gheorghiu21:11

That something special happened. And then every everything. Everything's flowed from flair. Yes.

Presenter21:15

And

Presenter21:17

Everything's flowed from there. But he, Schulte, was obviously very concerned. You know,

Angela Gheorghiu21:22

Because what you saw in that moment

Presenter21:22

Because what she didn't saw in that moment was this friend

Angela Gheorghiu21:24

Krishna

Presenter21:25

Yeah, I could

Angela Gheorghiu21:25

Yeah, he didn't know me but because even for for that raviata, everything I've done before and after.

Angela Gheorghiu21:32

when I'm doing something.

Angela Gheorghiu21:34

I think and think and think and think.

Angela Gheorghiu21:38

If I'm somewhere I'm doing something, it's because I was convinced to do it and I said yes.

Angela Gheorghiu21:44

If I am not convinced and I am not well, I am staying home.

Angela Gheorghiu21:50

To your your

Presenter21:51

own mistress all the time.

Angela Gheorghiu21:52

Yeah.

Presenter21:53

It's very interesting because you're born, as we've heard, of this sort of very repressive regime.

Angela Gheorghiu21:53

It's very

Presenter21:58

However repressive it was, it didn't tame your spirit, did it? You are absolutely in control of it.

Angela Gheorghiu22:03

And in fact, in that time it was vice versa. Never say something or never have the right to have an opinion or to open your mouth.

Presenter22:10

Quite a bit.

Angela Gheorghiu22:12

That's why I learn a lot from that moment. Record number five.

Angela Gheorghiu22:17

I know it's not the moment, but I'm very proud that Roberto learned very qu quick Romanian and he started to sing Romanian music. He recorded also Romanian uh song with the perfect pronunciation and the perfect feeling. Here's Roberto Alana oce vestemi nunata.

Speaker 222:37

Deviing Verger, Che la dreamis.

Speaker 222:53

Seraskar, Satriaskur, Senevan Duyasker.

Presenter23:07

Roberto Alania, my castaway's husband, singing a traditional Romanian Christmas song, Oce Veste Minunata. Oh, wonderful news. Beautiful, isn't it?

Angela Gheorghiu23:17

I remember uh that this song uh it was my father who sang for me for the first time and I learned from my father. And I sang this song a lot in my my little town when I was little, you know in public, yeah, for people, you know. Well you constantly asked to say all our life many times, many times.

Speaker 123:29

Uh

Presenter23:31

Ah

Presenter23:33

Yes, all areas.

Presenter23:38

We should just complete the love story that began with that electric shock we talked about in 1992 between the two of you, because as we said, the time elapsed and then you came back together in 1994 to sing Traviata. But in the meantime, Roberta's wife had died tragically and left him with a baby daughter. He tells a very romantic story that one morning, you know, you knocked on his door in the early hours of the morning because you couldn't be without him anymore, is that right? Exactly.

Angela Gheorghiu24:05

You have one here in London, yeah.

Presenter24:08

Tell me.

Angela Gheorghiu24:09

It it was very simple, so I just

Angela Gheorghiu24:17

I felt that it was impossible to live without.

Angela Gheorghiu24:22

And in one night I decide so at seven o'clock in the morning I was uh

Angela Gheorghiu24:28

He he didn't know I I'll come. He was outside, so we met in front of his door and we stayed to together from that moment. And he met it was it was in uh uh Dece December ninety four.

Presenter24:36

It was

Presenter24:41

And he rang up your husband, didn't he?

Angela Gheorghiu24:43

Yes, immediately

Angela Gheorghiu24:46

said uh in fact uh we didn't say m much because he understands very well uh he says uh she's with you yes

Angela Gheorghiu24:54

Okay.

Angela Gheorghiu24:56

He understood.

Presenter24:56

He understood. And you and Roberto were married a couple of years later by Mayor Giuliani, I think. Yes, exactly. In New York. And so you became stepmother to his little girl. Yes. And then and then in very tragic circumstances again

Angela Gheorghiu25:01

Yes, exactly, New York.

Speaker 125:02

I see

Presenter25:10

Uh y you bec you together became adoptive parents of another.

Angela Gheorghiu25:13

The little girl. Yeah, my sister, because my my sister died and then after years also in an accident on her father. So uh it was absolutely normal to have uh and uh what can I tell you? She's uh very sweet. Her name is Ioanna and uh Roberto daughter Ornela, they are keeping

Angela Gheorghiu25:35

all the time in Tash. They speak Romanian, they and then they speak all the languages. Now they they play a little piano, a little I mean, they they growing now.

Presenter25:46

About what, thirteen fourteen?

Angela Gheorghiu25:47

Exactly. Thirteen and fourteen. Of course they are ha happy, very happy with with us.

Presenter25:47

A thirteen

Presenter25:51

With us.

Angela Gheorghiu25:52

They adore us, we adore them, but it's it's not a normal relationship. They are doing a lot of trips for their ages, coming for from with us all over the world, so they are amazed about th this, but uh it's not a normal life.

Angela Gheorghiu26:12

Record number six.

Angela Gheorghiu26:13

I choose this song uh with Doena Bada. She's a wonderful voice from Romania. She sings sort of a romance. In Romania we have a type of music between

Angela Gheorghiu26:27

Folk?

Angela Gheorghiu26:29

classical music.

Angela Gheorghiu26:31

and uh popular music.

Angela Gheorghiu26:34

I would like you to to discover

Angela Gheorghiu26:38

Interesting music and a big soul. Donabad.

Speaker 226:43

They squeeze misquit.

Speaker 226:51

Oh my vote, that's fury.

Speaker 226:58

Kach ni nin uma chosna fumosa katinu.

Presenter27:12

Doena Badia, again a Rumanian, singing Deschide deschide ferrestra, open, open the window. So you were a huge hit, Angela Giorgio, and your international career was launched. How do you keep yourself fresh and your approach to things fresh? Or does your heart sink when you're asked to sing another traviata?

Angela Gheorghiu27:32

I don't know. It's just because I uh I'm still in really enjoying being in this in this world, in a musician world. And I'm still enjoying uh traveling, I'm still enjoying to discover. And do you consciously keep adding

Speaker 227:46

Do you

Presenter27:47

Uh

Presenter27:49

To your repertoire.

Angela Gheorghiu27:49

Yes, all the time. I I try to to keep my freshness or youngest roles, so I eat uh um good food, I mean a big repertoire, but I'm back.

Angela Gheorghiu28:03

To uh uh to have my starters.

Presenter28:07

And what else is an important part? I mean, you famously, of course, have talked about it.

Angela Gheorghiu28:11

No, no, the

Presenter28:11

Uh

Angela Gheorghiu28:11

Mostly important is

Presenter28:13

Store

Angela Gheorghiu28:13

Yeah. Yeah.

Presenter28:14

To be in love.

Presenter28:15

You've famously talked about sex before opera. I mean, that helps too, does it?

Angela Gheorghiu28:18

I mean that that helps too.

Angela Gheorghiu28:20

Of course it helps.

Angela Gheorghiu28:22

To be loved and to to be in love. It's it's the most important thing. Particularly when you're performing with your husband.

Presenter28:22

See video out?

Angela Gheorghiu28:29

That's very hard because uh uh the the emotions they are doubled, so it's not so easy, May tell you.

Presenter28:35

I would have thought it was easier performing with somebody you were completely physically at ease with.

Angela Gheorghiu28:37

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu28:39

No, no, no, no, it's completely vice versa. No, it's it's I mean, being on stage with with Roberto is double emotions. I I try to make everything to to to please him and vice versa. You know, it's a huge forces.

Presenter28:54

You know? But would you say that you get nearer to some kind of of musical performance perfection with him than with a professional partner?

Angela Gheorghiu29:02

With him than with a professional partner. So our voices matches a lot. And I I heard that from the very beginning, in nineteen ninety two when I heard Roberto, I said he will be the tenor of our time, with no doubt. He has a huge

Angela Gheorghiu29:23

talent to

Angela Gheorghiu29:25

be an artist and I like to to have in front of me an artist.

Presenter29:30

Hmm.

Angela Gheorghiu29:30

I mean

Presenter29:31

Forgive me, but you also both look very good, which is not always the case with opera singers. And you can both act. It's not just music for you, it's the whole performance.

Angela Gheorghiu29:33

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu29:36

But

Speaker 129:36

Did you?

Angela Gheorghiu29:37

Uh

Angela Gheorghiu29:40

No.

Angela Gheorghiu29:41

No, no, no. For me, the most important is the the role. If I feel the role, the text. I help the personage with my voice and the and music. Because the bass it's uh is not music and text, it's text and then music.

Presenter29:56

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu29:56

Yeah.

Presenter29:56

And you've made a film. You've made a film of Tosca, which has been hugely successful. French related film. I just wonder if you would ever think about making a film that was not an opera. Would you like to act?

Angela Gheorghiu29:59

See?

Angela Gheorghiu30:01

French military.

Angela Gheorghiu30:08

Is that a proposal?

Presenter30:09

Could be, you never know.

Angela Gheorghiu30:10

Who's listening?

Angela Gheorghiu30:12

Is that what you'd like to do? I would like uh no no I would like, in fact it's my dream. I'm a maniac of uh movies and theatre.

Angela Gheorghiu30:21

And I that remi reminds me a lot of Richel Eyre when I work with him for Traviatai. He was the first and last producer making real work for an opera. I mean, reading the text like an actor. He was adorable and he was so professional.

Presenter30:43

Nice.

Speaker 230:43

Uh

Presenter30:43

So what are you saying that you'd quite like to be directed by someone like that in a straight acting role?

Presenter30:50

Record number seven.

Angela Gheorghiu30:51

We have a wonderful, wonderful pan fl flute player, Gheorghe Zamfir. I'm sure you know this wonderful artist, George Zampfir.

Presenter31:31

Georgi Zamfer, a Romanian virtuoso on the panpipes. What do you call them? Nye?

Angela Gheorghiu31:36

Ni.

Presenter31:36

Exactly. And he was playing Chocolate.

Angela Gheorghiu31:36

Exactly.

Angela Gheorghiu31:37

Chocolate, yeah, it's it's a bird. The lark, the lark.

Presenter31:40

Yeah. So, Andrew, this is the moment when we cast you away all alone on a desert island. I mean, how how domesticated are you? Will you be able to look after yourself?

Angela Gheorghiu31:50

Uh

Presenter31:51

Yeah.

Angela Gheorghiu31:51

I'll sing, I'm never uh become not knowing what to do if I'm alone. I have my moments when I want to be alone.

Presenter32:00

Perfect.

Angela Gheorghiu32:01

absolutely alone to do it

Presenter32:02

To doing what I want to do. You're self-sufficient, you're saying, but you also, from everything you say, have a kind of essential optimism. You wouldn't.

Angela Gheorghiu32:09

I am very optimistic. I and optimistic and more than optimistic. I am uh positive.

Presenter32:11

Damn.

Speaker 232:11

Yeah.

Presenter32:16

I'm a poor

Angela Gheorghiu32:16

Sit down.

Presenter32:17

Yeah. So you wouldn't do a Tosca even if your life has been rather operatic. You wouldn't suddenly leap off the top of somewhere and put an end to it all?

Angela Gheorghiu32:25

Oh no!

Presenter32:26

Bye.

Presenter32:28

Last

Angela Gheorghiu32:28

Straight code.

Angela Gheorghiu32:30

Romania has the greatest composers in Georgia and Escu.

Angela Gheorghiu32:33

I would like to beg you to listen to his music, but at the same time with the Romanian folkloric.

Angela Gheorghiu32:41

Style and Filling and Smell. And here we are listening to Rhapsody No. One by Giorgi Enescu.

Presenter33:48

Part of Georgia Onescu's Rhapsody number one in A major, played by the Bucharest Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Christiane Mandial. Now, Angela Giorgio, if you could only take one of those eight records, which one would you take?

Angela Gheorghiu34:03

What a face

Angela Gheorghiu34:04

I makes it absolutely difficult. Uh on our list, I I like number seven.

Angela Gheorghiu34:11

That's the power of the vala.

Presenter34:11

It's a quick.

Angela Gheorghiu34:13

I take my birds there. I'm the lark. You have a lark singing. Yeah, not because it's the best or I like more, but I can't give a lark.

Speaker 134:13

I see.

Speaker 134:15

Yeah.

Presenter34:16

The lark.

Presenter34:21

Yeah.

Presenter34:22

What about a book? One can you give an answer to one book? We give you the Bible and we give you the complete works of Shakespeare. One book of your own choice.

Presenter34:30

A book tour to l

Angela Gheorghiu34:31

To learn a good English, maybe? Why not?

Angela Gheorghiu34:36

I would I would like that. Okay. Because I adore

Angela Gheorghiu34:40

English language.

Angela Gheorghiu34:42

And what about a luxury?

Angela Gheorghiu34:44

A cup of jasmine tea.

Angela Gheorghiu34:46

I discover afternoon tea in London, I discover jasmine tea in London, I adore it, and I drink afternoon tea all over the world. I adore that.

Presenter34:56

Afternoon, tea it is. Angela Georgieu, thank you very much indeed for letting us hear your teacher.

Angela Gheorghiu35:00

Thank you. Thank you very much.

Speaker 135:09

You've been listening to a podcast from the Desert Island Discs archive. For more podcasts, please visit bbc.co.uk/slash radio four.

Speaker 235:56

Uh