I know. That was part of what I was trying to point out.
I agree.
-FrL-
Me too. Those audience members sound childish. Sounds like a high-priced Showtime at the Apollo.
I wouldn’t sue, though. He ought to consider it a favor that they cancelled his contract.
Wow. The whole thing is so surreal and outside my world. From the article:
I was going to say shame on the audience. I didn’t know booing was something people still did at these sorts of events.
But dang, if I’m paying $3K/ticket and the performers know me and my opera buddies are prone to rowdiness then thems the breaks.
I deny all involvement.
To me, it’s a case of “if you can’t take the heat, don’t enter the kitchen”. Frenchie wants to have the fame of having sung at La Scala, but not the risk of being booed. U-hu.
I’m no opera fanatic (my great-uncle is probably Verdi’s greatest living fan, though), but even I know that La Scala is like the Roman Circus minus lions… heck, La Scala (or El Liceo) fans could probably make them maned cats run for the hills 
If only Kevin Federline would get off stages when being booed.
And wow, those are some expensive tickets…I guess if you are paying that much, you have the right to demand perfection…but talk about a tough crowd.
Still, even pop-star divas learn the hard way that walking off the stage doesn’t endear you to the public, nor does it do much to advance your career.
Wait, you think his walkoff was a shoot? No way, it was worked. He lathers the audience into a frenzy, they’re all booing, then the heel walks off. Then the face understudy comes out, blows the audience away and gets a standing O.
Then the Opera stable “fires” the heel. But watch for a mysterious masked opera star skulking around in the next month or so. And at the end of the season the masked heel goes up against the understudy…and takes off his mask at the start of the aria. And guess who’s under the mask? The crowd goes nuts!
I like it. A touch of old school with the masked “Midnight Aria” angle. 
I would love to see the performance and then his understudy’s performance.
But not for 3k.
I’d pay $0.99 to hear the B-flat that got the booing started!
Just as long as there isn’t yet another nWo run-in beat-down.
Let’s keep in mind that he was booed within mere minutes of the opening of the opera. He had just finished the “Celeste Aida” aria, and was booed for it. So it isn’t like the audience was going on much.
Frankly, if the opera house allows for an atmosphere that is not conducive to respect of performers to exist to such an extent that everyone knows about it, you might think they would do something about it. Like ejecting patrons who insist upon misbehaving.
Not that I’m defending Alagna, but maybe it will make La Scala’s management finally do something. It’s not like they can be afraid they won’t sell out their performances if they begin to take a tough line. Think about what effect this behavior by the gallery had upon the listening enjoyment of the vast majority of the patrons.
Ah, but it’s their shtick.
I’d suggest Pavarotti’s response was along the right lines. But better might have been to make an amusing aside.
Bravo!
Yeah, but what bugs me is that he wasn’t booed for his singing. I get that if you’re choosing to perform in front of a hyper-critical audience, that you should expect them to be critical. But I don’t get booing someone for something he said at a completely different time, especially since the audience, by their poor behavior, was only confirming what he said about them. And think about the audience members who weren’t heckling. Doesn’t seem fair for them to pay all that money only to have some clowns ruin the show for everyone.
Exactly. Most halls eschew disruptions to the point that they won’t even let you enter your seat if you’re late. So how is it that this place allows heckling to go on? It’s ridiculous.
It’s a tough call when we’re talking about $3,000 tickets. What does the audience want? World class singing, or the possibility of an internationally newsworthy scandal between a spoiled diva and an audience who can afford to not, and has a reputation for not taking any crap from a spoiled diva who thinks he can diss the audience and miss a note at $3K a pop?
Meh. A smug self-important pretentious diva up on stage in front of an audience of smug self-important pretentious divas. I’d suggest boarding up all the exits and leaving them to enjoy each other’s company. Then lowering Kevin Federline from the ceiling to serenade them through a bullhorn.
levdrakon - Did he miss a note? The article says he was booed because of comments he made to the press. Do you have some info from another article?
Nah, I’m not sure. It sounds like there was something political going on between the singer and the audience but shelbo mentioned a B-flat so I went with it.
I’m loving this story. It’s what it’s all about. But I’m on the side of the loggionisti, “famously demanding loggionisti, the subscribers who occupy the cheapest seats”: this guy is a pompous delusional egotist.
Boooooo!