Romanian Soprano Angela Gheorghiu: ‘I Owe Nothing to Romania!’

Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, worldwide famous and appreciated by opera lovers wherever she performs, seems to have developed the habit of approaching controversial subjects related to her native country. It is not the first; perhaps it won’t be the last time, but the soprano posted a very controversial statement on her Facebook account: I owe nothing to the Romanian state!

Her saying comes in a particular context: apparently, the Romanian conductor Cristian Macelaru, the artistic director of the French National Orchestra, hadn’t invited her to perform on the occasion of the National Day of France when Cristian conducted the concert. This upset the soprano, who posted her thoughts on Facebook:

I do not owe anything to Romania, I have never been supported by this state or its institutions in my career, on the contrary, I have supported Romanian musicians and colleagues, inviting them to my concerts and shows, the important fees, throughout my career

Angela Gheorghiu on Facebook

She was blamed by the Facebook users when she commented on one of Cristian Macelaru’s posts, saying that the Romanian Symphony, composed by George Enescu, is “popular music”. When commenting on her fellow Romanian’s post, she said in contempt:

Unfortunately, you are a coward and a traitor, you know what I mean…another Romanian, you don’t surprise me at all. Popular music in Paris, OMG! Has your music culture stopped here?! Pitty!

Angela Gheorghiu commenting on Facebook

Here’s Romanian Rhapsody, performed by the Romanian Orchestra, with the great Sergiu Celibidache as conductor. We encourage our readers to see for themselves if this is “popular music” or…a rhapsody.

Angela Gheorghiu is not at her first controversial scandal. In October last year, Gheorghiu appreciated that Romanian composers such as George Enescu and Ciprian Porumbescu are fake legends as, in her opinion, they didn’t have an international career. The Romanian music specialists contradicted her, but she kept her opinion.

In this context, Angela Gheorghiu, who is defining herself as “the most glamourous opera star” on her website, could lose the support of her fellow citizens while keeping the love of all the opera lovers worldwide. It could be a profitable strategy, after all.