Cheers, not jeers, for ‘Aida’ tenor
- Share via
On a day’s notice, with no rehearsal, Roberto Alagna jumped in for an ailing tenor to sing “Aida” -- 10 months after he stormed off an Italian stage when he was booed in the same role.
The incident at Milan’s La Scala last December triggered a worldwide uproar. In the next episode, played out Tuesday night at the Metropolitan Opera in New York, Alagna got a standing ovation.
The 44-year-old French-born son of a Sicilian bricklayer was filling in for tenor Marco Berti, who fell ill Monday. When the call came from Met General Manager Peter Gelb, Alagna said, “I took it as a sign from God.”
“Tonight, I have finally put away the ghosts of Milan that have haunted me,” he said during a midnight interview in his dressing room.
“It was a betrayal at La Scala! They closed the door on me, they abandoned me,” he said. “And my blood is all Sicilian.”
The biggest entertainment stories
Get our big stories about Hollywood, film, television, music, arts, culture and more right in your inbox as soon as they publish.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
