Roberto Alagna facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roberto Alagna
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Roberto Alagna in 2004
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| Born | 7 June 1963 Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, France
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| Occupation | Opera singer (tenor) |
| Years active | 1988–present |
| Spouse(s) |
Florence Lancien
(died 1994)Angela Gheorghiu
(m. 1996; div. 2013)Aleksandra Kurzak
(m. 2015) |
Roberto Alagna (born June 7, 1963) is a famous French opera singer. He is known as a tenor, which means he sings with a high male voice. He has both French and Italian citizenship.
Contents
Who is Roberto Alagna?
Early Life and Discovering Opera
Roberto Alagna was born in 1963 in Clichy-sous-Bois, a town near Paris, France. His family came from Sicily, Italy. When he was a teenager, Roberto started singing pop songs in Parisian cabarets. He would sing for tips, just like a street performer.
He loved watching movies starring the famous singer Mario Lanza. He also listened to recordings of many great tenors. These inspired him to switch from pop music to opera. Roberto mostly taught himself how to sing opera. A person named Gabriel Dussurget, who helped start a big music festival, discovered his talent.
Starting His Opera Career
In 1988, Roberto Alagna won the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition. This was a big singing contest supported by the Italian government. After winning, he made his first professional opera appearance. He played the role of Alfredo Germont in an opera called La traviata. He performed with the Glyndebourne touring company.
This first role led to many more performances. He sang in smaller cities across France and Italy. He often played Alfredo, singing the role over 150 times! As his fame grew, he was invited to sing at major opera houses. These included La Scala in Italy in 1990 and Covent Garden in London in 1992. In 1996, he sang at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City.
Becoming an International Star
Roberto Alagna became a huge international star in 1994. This happened after his performances as Roméo in the opera Roméo et Juliette. He sang this role at Covent Garden, and people loved his performance.
In 2006, Roberto Alagna opened the new season at La Scala with the opera Aida. During a later performance, some audience members booed him. Roberto felt upset and walked off the stage. Another singer, Antonello Palombi, quickly took over his role.
In 2007, Roberto Alagna helped the Metropolitan Opera. He stepped in for another singer to perform as Romeo in Roméo et Juliette. He sang alongside the famous soprano Anna Netrebko. One of these performances was shown in movie theaters around the world. About 97,000 people watched it!
Exploring New Music
In recent years, Roberto Alagna has worked to bring back older French operas. These are operas that people don't perform very often anymore. Some examples include Cyrano de Bergerac and Le jongleur de Notre-Dame.
He has also performed in new operas. One was Marius et Fanny by Vladimir Cosma. Another was Le dernier jour d'un condamné, written by his own brother, David Alagna. Roberto has also recorded lighter music, not just opera. He made an album honoring the singer Luis Mariano, and other albums like Sicilien and Pasión.
In 2018, Roberto Alagna was supposed to sing in the famous Bayreuth Festival. He was going to perform in Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin. However, he decided to withdraw because he felt he didn't have enough time to learn the role perfectly.
Roberto Alagna's Family Life
Roberto Alagna has been married three times. His first wife, Florence Lancien, sadly passed away in 1994 from a brain tumor. They had a daughter named Ornella, born in 1992.
In 1996, he married Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. They were a famous opera couple. They announced a divorce in 2009 but got back together for a while. However, they formally divorced in 2013.
Roberto then started a relationship with Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Their daughter, Malena, was born in 2014. Roberto and Aleksandra got married in 2015.
Roberto often works with his brothers. Frédérico Alagna and David Alagna (who is a stage director and composer) have collaborated with him. The three brothers recorded a music album called Serenades. They also worked together on David's opera, which was based on a book by Victor Hugo. Roberto has also sung in operas with his sister-in-law, Nathalie Manfrino.
In 2008, the French government honored Roberto Alagna. They named him a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur. This is a very important award in France.
Opera Roles Roberto Alagna Has Sung
Roberto Alagna has performed in many different opera roles. Here are some of the most famous ones:
- Alfredo in La traviata
- Don José in Carmen
- Rodolfo in La bohème
- Roméo in Roméo et Juliette
- Mario Cavaradossi in Tosca
- Radamès in Aida
- Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly
- Canio in Pagliacci
- Faust in Faust
- Samson in Samson et Dalila
- Otello in Otello
Roberto Alagna's Music Albums
Roberto Alagna has released many albums. Here are some of them:
- Chants sacrés (1996)
- Puccini: Tosca (2001)
- Bizet: Carmen (2003)
- Chante Luis Mariano (2005)
- Sicilien (2008)
- Pasión (2011)
- Robertissimo (2013)
- Puccini in Love (2018)
- Caruso 1873 (2019)
Images for kids
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Roberto Alagna in 2004
See also
In Spanish: Roberto Alagna para niños
