Roberto Alagna (Italian pronunciation: [roˈbɛrto aˈlaɲɲa]; born June 7, 1963) is a French operatic tenor. He became a French citizen in 1981 and kept his Italian citizenship.

Early years

Alagna was born in Clichy-sous-Bois, a town near Paris, in 1963. His parents were immigrants from Sicily, an island in Italy. As a teenager, he sang pop music in small entertainment venues in Paris, often receiving tips from audience members. He was inspired by the films of Mario Lanza and studied recordings of famous opera singers. This influenced him to switch to singing opera, though he mostly taught himself. He was discovered by Gabriel Dussurget, who helped start the Aix-en-Provence Festival. Alagna frequently performed with Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu, whom he met in 1992. They married in 1996 and worked together in concerts and opera productions until their divorce in 2013.

Career

After winning the Luciano Pavarotti International Voice Competition, an event supported by the Italian Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, which began in Modena in 1988, Alagna made his professional debut as Alfredo Germont in La traviata with the Glyndebourne touring company. This led to performances in smaller cities across France and Italy, where he often played the role of Alfredo, a part he would later perform over 150 times. His growing reputation earned him invitations to perform at major theaters, including La Scala in 1990, Covent Garden in 1992, and the Metropolitan Opera in 1996 as Rodolfo. His performances as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette by Charles Gounod at Covent Garden in 1994, opposite Leontina Vaduva, helped him gain international recognition.

Alagna began the 2006/07 season at La Scala on December 7, 2006, in a new production of Aida by Franco Zeffirelli. During the second performance on December 10, Alagna, who had appeared nervous in his first performance, was booed and whistled at by the audience in the loggione (the least expensive seats at the very back of La Scala). He left the stage. La Scala management and Zeffirelli criticized his reaction to the audience’s criticism, calling it immature and unprofessional. Zeffirelli said, “A professional should never behave in this way. Alagna is too sensitive, it is too easy to hurt his feelings. He does not know how to act like a true star.” The role of Radames was then taken over by his understudy, Antonello Palombi, who wore jeans and a black shirt during his performance.

In 2007, while performing the role of Pinkerton in Madama Butterfly at the Metropolitan Opera, Alagna replaced the ill tenor Rolando Villazón as Roméo in Roméo et Juliette opposite soprano Anna Netrebko for two performances in September and two in December. He was also asked to perform at the last minute in place of the ill Marco Berti in a performance of Aida on October 16, 2007. After that performance, the audience gave him a standing ovation. The December 15 performance of Roméo et Juliette featuring Alagna and Netrebko was broadcast by the Met to 447 theaters worldwide in high definition and viewed by about 97,000 people.

In recent years, Alagna has worked to bring attention back to French operas that were not widely performed, including Cyrano de Bergerac by Alfano, Le jongleur de Notre-Dame by Massenet, Fiesque by Lalo, and new works such as Marius et Fanny by Vladimir Cosma and Le dernier jour d’un condamné by his brother, David Alagna. He has also recorded light music, including an album honoring Luis Mariano titled Sicilien, and Pasión.

Alagna was scheduled to make his debut at the Bayreuth Festival on July 25, 2018, in the title role of a new production of Richard Wagner’s Lohengrin. He withdrew from the festival on June 29, 2018, stating he had not learned the role in time.

Personal life

Alagna's first wife, Florence Lancien, died from a brain tumor in 1994. They had one daughter, Ornella, who was born in 1992. In 1996, Alagna married Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu. They met in 1992 during a production of Bohème in London. The couple announced their divorce in 2009 but reunited in 2011. However, in January 2013, they decided to get a legal divorce together. Alagna began a relationship with Polish soprano Aleksandra Kurzak. Their daughter, Malena, was born on January 29, 2014. Alagna and Kurzak married in 2015.

Alagna has worked with his brothers, Frédérico Alagna and David Alagna, who is a stage director and composer. The three brothers recorded an album called Serenades and collaborated on an opera based on Victor Hugo's The Last Day of a Condemned Man, which was created by David. Alagna often performed the role of Cyrano in operas, singing opposite his sister-in-law, Nathalie Manfrino, who played Roxane.

In 2008, the government of France honored Alagna by naming him Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.

Videography

This is a DVD titled "James Levine's 25th Anniversary Metropolitan Opera Gala" from 1996, released by Deutsche Grammophon with the catalog number B0004602-09.