I have just watched a programme I taped last night on operatic divas. The definition of a diva, according to the shorter Oxford Dictionary is a 'famous female singer of operatic or popular music'. This is a very bland definition but the giveaway is in its origin, 19th century from the Italian, meaning 'goddess' which is how great female opera stars seem to be viewed. This is all very gratifying and delightful, but most people view the word 'diva' as not a particularly flattering one, and tend to think that divas behave badly.
A better description of certain lady opera singers would be 'prima donna' where the meaning is much more descriptive 'a very temperamental and self-important person' and those of us who love opera are no strangers to this sort of artiste.
The greatest Diva/Donna of them all was, of course, Maria Callas. According to many reports she was hell to work with and, as I have blogged recently in my mention of Dame Joan Sutherland, her private life certainly enhanced her diva status. Yet why should it be the norm that Divas = Difficult? It is not necessary surely. Dame Joan is living proof that this is not so.
On the programme I have just watched Frederica von Stade, Kiri te Kanawa, Renee Fleming, Deborah Voight and Angela Gheorgiou were interviewed (AG was given the lion's share of it however, quelle surprise). Frederica von Stade first came to prominence in the 1970s and has always struck me as being a thoroughly nice person and I cannot recall any instances of her behaving badly. She was sitting next to Kiri te Kanawa on the communal sofa chatting about a concert they were going to give at Glyndbourne (in which they both looked and sounded great) and I had to gasp when Dame Kiri said she certainly hadn't been a diva and did not even know what it meant. My ex-husband, a trained opera singer, did work at the Royal Opera House during the Kiri period and the stories that we used to hear about her behaviour would make your hair curl, but I will be charitable and say this was a long time ago and perhaps she has forgotten.
Renee Fleming, who has one of the most ravishing voices around, also 
seems a perfectly decent, friendly and charming person and, though I am sure she must have her odd moments, I have never read anything unpleasant or difficult about her either. Deborah Voight told a story about Covent Garden not honouring a contract with her because she was rather large, shall we say, with great humour and style and seemed to me to be the kind of person you could sit down and have a latte and Danish with quite easily.
Then, of course, we came to the current Diva/Donna Numero Uno, Angela Gheorgiou, who dominated the programme. We had an awful lot of her floating around various theatres, halls, dressed in low cut flowing summer gowns, dripping with diamonds (chosen from a frightfully grovelling jewellers), signing autographs, posing for pictures and finally, rehearsing (with the Mighty Bryn) for the new production of Tosca which I saw this year and which I have blogged about. 
Angela G has a quite lovely voice and I am sure in quiet moments if you sat down with her when she was out of the public eye, one would find she was perfectly normal. Not sure I quite believe this but I am giving her the benefit of the doubt as it is very easy for mortals like myself who lead ordinary every day lives, not to totally appreciate the sheer hard work, terror and artistry involved in being an opera singer. Everyone is waiting for you to crash, to miss the top note, to crack at the wrong place, in short, opera is a spectator sport with all the risks involved. And I, as a viewer, sit back and dare them to get it right. I couldn't do it, so perhaps I should not be so critical of bad behaviour under stress.
I saw Callas do Tosca some forty years ago and I was extremely irritated by the Is Angela Going to Outdo Maria as Tosca bit that was in the papers back in July, and echoed on this programme tonight. Nobody, but nobody, can do Tosca like Maria Callas. That does not mean that nobody else cannot be as good, but they are not Callas, they are themselves and bring their own interpretation to the role. Having this Callas v Gheorgiou argument was probably excellent publicity for Covent Garden but it was totally misguided and stupid and the question should not have been raised at all. In a portentious voice over we heard Alan Yentob say 'will Gheorgiou finally lay the ghost of Callas'. Well, no she did not and if you read my earlier review of this particular Tosca, you will see why. But why do we need these comparisons at all?
Fascinating programme and this Friday on BBC4 we have a portrait of Dame Joan Sutherland: the reluctant Prima Donna, which I shall watch with huge interest. One of the nicest Divas around, no diamonds, no tantrums, no bad behavior, just a glorious glorious voice. I will report back.....
