Alagna -- "I'm no fag-basher!"

[Brian Newhouse]

In article <344EBA...@ix.netcom.com>, jjo...@ix.netcom.com wrote:

> Roberto Alagna has apologized to his gay fans for what was perceived
> to be a homophobic remark. In a letter published in the current
> issue of PARTERRE BOX, Alagna says his dismissal of an
> unenthusiastic audience member as a "homosexual" was not meant "to
> cause offense to homosexual people".
>
> Alagna's apology is a response to sharp criticism in the pages of
> PARTERRE BOX for a remark quoted in the London Daily Telegraph last
> April. After viewing a television documentary in which New York
> operagoers offered negative comments about his performance in "La
> Boheme", Alagna told an interviewer, "...that man who said I didn't
> hit the top C. I know he is a homosexual."
>
[snip]

Now that's interesting--Bobby Bob, I mean Roberto Alagna, reads parterre
box. Who'd have thunk it?

Very nice of him to apologize, though.

(And didn't Marky Mark, too, apologize way back when?)

--
Brian Newhouse
newh...@mail.crisp.net

[Sara Freeman]

In <344EBA...@ix.netcom.com> James Jorden <jjo...@ix.netcom.com>
writes:

>
>Roberto Alagna has apologized to his gay fans for what was perceived
>to be a homophobic remark. In a letter published in the current
>issue of PARTERRE BOX, Alagna says his dismissal of an
>unenthusiastic audience member as a "homosexual" was not meant "to
>cause offense to homosexual people".
>
>Alagna's apology is a response to sharp criticism in the pages of
>PARTERRE BOX for a remark quoted in the London Daily Telegraph last
>April. After viewing a television documentary in which New York
>operagoers offered negative comments about his performance in "La
>Boheme", Alagna told an interviewer, "...that man who said I didn't
>hit the top C. I know he is a homosexual."
>

>Describing himself as "hurt and indignant" at the criticism of his
>singing, the tenor notes that the interview was conducted in
>English, a language in which he says he is not completely fluent.
>He adds that "many of [his] closest friends [are] themselves
>homosexual."
>
>As editor of PARTERRE BOX, I congratulate Mr. Alagna for his honesty
>and his courage in admitting his error. His statement reaffirms my
>belief that hate speech is completely unacceptable for artists in
>the public eye.
>
>The full story of Alagna's apology, including the complete text of
>his letter of apology, is published in issue #28 of PARTERRE BOX.
>Other features this month are:
>
>an interview with Ira Siff, impresario and prima donna of the all-
>male Gran Scena Opera Company
>
>reviews of opera performances in New York, Chicago and San Francisco
>
>"A Boy and his Diva", a series of first-hand narratives exploring
>the mysterious relationship between gay men and female opera
>
>the usual semi-hilarious features and vicious gossip from the world
>of opera
>
>PARTERRE BOX is available by subscription -- please email me
>privately for information. The text of Alagna's letter can also be
>accessed at http://www.anaserve.com/~parterre./alagna.htm
>
So we find that Alagna is really a wimp and a suckup.

>==========
>
>james jorden
>jjo...@ix.netcom.com
>www.anaserve.com/~parterre
>
>"Maenner! Lieber Gott, wenn du wirklich wolltest, dass wir ihnen
>widerstehen sollten, warum hast du sie so verschieden geschaffen?"

--
Start every day with a smile . . . and get it over with.
W.C. Fields

[ros...@theory.lcs.mit.edu]

In article <EIHLn...@nonexistent.com>,
newh...@mail.crisp.net (Brian Newhouse) wrote:

> Now that's interesting--Bobby Bob, I mean Roberto Alagna, reads parterre
> box. Who'd have thunk it?
>

I wish he did, but I strongly suspect that it was his press agent who
spotted the criticism.

---Rosario

p.s. James, the link to the alagna feature on the web site does not work.

-------------------==== Posted via Deja News ====-----------------------
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[James Jorden]

ros...@theory.lcs.mit.edu wrote:
> I strongly suspect that it was his press agent who spotted the > criticism.

Hre's the story. I called first Angel Records, who passed the ball to
Levon Sayan, Alagna's manager. I faxed several times demanding an
apology, reporting to Mr. Sayan the annoyance and concern expressed by a
number of opera fans in the US (gay or otherwise); eventually Sayan
forwarded this letter (over Alagan's signature) to me. He specifically
requests that I publish the letter in parterre box; it appears in issue
#28.

> the link to the alagna feature on the web site does not work.

try http://www.anaserve.com/~parterre/alagna.htm (instead of erroneous
address given earlier).

[il Doge]

When I read his letter, I could not help but think of the
old cliche line: "Some of my best friends are Jewish."

--
Dal

[Matthew B. Tepper]

In article <34529B...@ix.netcom.com>, jjo...@ix.netcom.com is
alleged to have said...

>
>ros...@theory.lcs.mit.edu wrote:
>> I strongly suspect that it was his press agent who spotted the
>> criticism.
>
>Hre's the story. I called first Angel Records, who passed the ball to
>Levon Sayan, Alagna's manager. I faxed several times demanding an
>apology, reporting to Mr. Sayan the annoyance and concern expressed by
>a number of opera fans in the US (gay or otherwise); eventually Sayan
>forwarded this letter (over Alagan's signature) to me. He
>specifically requests that I publish the letter in parterre box; it
>appears in issue #28.
>
>> the link to the alagna feature on the web site does not work.
>
>try http://www.anaserve.com/~parterre/alagna.htm (instead of erroneous
>address given earlier).
>
>==========
>
>james jorden
>jjo...@ix.netcom.com
>www.anaserve.com/~parterre
>
>"Maenner! Lieber Gott, wenn du wirklich wolltest, dass wir ihnen
>widerstehen sollten, warum hast du sie so verschieden geschaffen?"

Hm, so maybe I should write to John Adams regarding what I consider to
be antisemitic elements in (at least) two of his operas.

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!
My personal home page -- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/index.htm
My main music page --- http://www.deltanet.com/~ducky/berlioz.htm
And my science fiction club's home page --- http://www.lasfs.org/

[g.f.]

In article <6301f6$53$1...@news01.deltanet.com>,

Matthew B. Tepper <ducky....@deltanet.com> wrote:
>
>Hm, so maybe I should write to John Adams regarding what I consider to
>be antisemitic elements in (at least) two of his operas.
>

Hmmmm, I've heard this said before but am only acquainted with
one in a highlights-of sort of way and not at all with the other.
(There are still just two, right?)
So I'm curious about this charge. Enlighten us, Herr Duck?

Greg
@utexas

[ros...@theory.lcs.mit.edu]

In article <34529B...@ix.netcom.com>,
jjo...@ix.netcom.com wrote:

> Hre's the story. I called first Angel Records, who passed the ball to
> Levon Sayan, Alagna's manager. I faxed several times demanding an
> apology, reporting to Mr. Sayan the annoyance and concern expressed by a
> number of opera fans in the US (gay or otherwise); eventually Sayan
> forwarded this letter (over Alagan's signature) to me. He specifically
> requests that I publish the letter in parterre box; it appears in issue
> #28.

If this is what happened, I think there is very little to celebrate
and congratulate in an "apology" (see below) practically "extorted"
by repeated nagging. I seriously doubt Mr.Alagna sincerity ...

Besides I read the letter and the guy nowhere apologizes.
He said he has been misquoted and he does not speak good English.
Yeah sure ...

---Rosario