Angela Gheorghiu Refuses Final Curtain Call for 'Tosca'
Co-star Kim Jaehyung's Encore Sparks Discontent, Interrupts Performance
On the 8th, during the 'Tosca' performance at Sejong Center for the Performing Arts, soprano Angela Gheorghiu (59), who played the lead role of 'Tosca,' did not appear for the final curtain call. Gheorghiu interrupted the performance during the last act, expressing dissatisfaction with the encore by tenor Kim Jae-hyung, her counterpart, and did not come on stage for the curtain call, displaying behavior unbefitting her reputation as a world-renowned soprano.
The Seoul Opera Company performed 'Tosca,' one of the representative works of Italian composer Giacomo Puccini, at the Sejong Center Grand Theater from the 5th to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Puccini's death. They invited Angela Gheorghiu, a world-class soprano from Romania, to play the lead role of Tosca, and Gheorghiu appeared on stage twice, on the 5th and the 8th.
Although she was a soprano who once dominated the era, the performance on the 5th received some criticism. As Gheorghiu approaches 60 next year, she showed signs of physical fatigue and was unable to demonstrate the same level of skill as in the past. On the other hand, tenor Kim Jae-hyung, who played Tosca's lover 'Cavaradossi,' received high praise.
Gheorghiu herself also highly praised Kim Jae-hyung. At a press conference held on the 30th of last month before the performance, Gheorghiu said about Kim Jae-hyung, "I was very surprised to hear such a fantastic voice during rehearsals."
Performance scene of tenor Kim Jaehyung as Cavaradossi (left) and soprano Angela Georgiu as Tosca. Photo by Sejong Center for the Performing Arts
The same was true during the performance on the 8th. Kim Jae-hyung captivated the audience with his solid and powerful vocalization. After Cavaradossi's representative aria 'Recondita armonia' in Act 1, thunderous applause erupted from the audience. Many called for an encore.
However, after Tosca's representative aria 'Vissi d'arte' in Act 2, the applause was not as loud as in Act 1. There were no voices requesting an encore either.
Things escalated in Act 3. The aria 'E lucevan le stelle,' sung by Cavaradossi in Act 3, is considered Tosca's representative aria. After Kim Jae-hyung sang 'E lucevan le stelle,' even louder applause erupted from the audience than in Act 1, and conductor Ji Jung-bae performed 'E lucevan le stelle' once more as an encore.
During Kim Jae-hyung's second rendition of 'E lucevan le stelle,' Gheorghiu stormed onto the stage. Appearing from the right side of the stage, Gheorghiu raised both arms and displayed a bewildered attitude. After lingering on the right side of the stage for a while, she eventually moved toward the center of the stage, repeatedly saying "Excuse me," then stated, "This is not a recital," before exiting the stage. She expressed dissatisfaction with Kim Jae-hyung singing 'E lucevan le stelle' twice.
Immediately after Gheorghiu's exit, the audience murmured in confusion. They could not understand Gheorghiu's attitude. After Kim Jae-hyung's encore ended, Gheorghiu appeared on stage and completed the performance without incident.
However, she did not come on stage for the encore curtain call. After Cavaradossi Kim Jae-hyung appeared on the curtain call stage, Gheorghiu, who was supposed to appear last as Tosca, did not show up for quite some time. After several minutes, Gheorghiu appeared from the left side of the stage, but some in the audience booed, and Gheorghiu turned around and left.
Performance officials interpreted that the proud Gheorghiu expressed dissatisfaction with tenor Kim Jae-hyung receiving more attention than herself.
Ultimately, the curtain call ended without Gheorghiu. After the performance, the audience criticized Gheorghiu's attitude and expressed dissatisfaction. Some audience members demanded ticket refunds at the ticket box, and voices calling for Gheorghiu to officially apologize, accusing her of ignoring Korean audiences, also emerged.
During opera performances, vocalists often perform encores in response to audience requests. Conductor Ji Jung-bae said after the performance that there were many encore requests for Kim Jae-hyung's aria during the performance on the 5th as well, but they could not perform an encore then; however, since there were encore requests again during the final performance, they performed the encore.
Gheorghiu also caused a scandal during the 2016 'Tosca' performance at the Vienna State Opera. At that time, when tenor Jonas Kaufmann, her counterpart, sang 'E lucevan le stelle' twice, she did not appear on stage for a long time, leaving the audience puzzled.
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