The next time you roll your eyes at an operatic plot complication involving mistaken identity, just consider this: Mirella Freni‘s cancellation of her gala peformance of Fedora at the Washington National Opera last month was apparently due to a bungled phone message. According to a WNO insider, La Freni telephoned the company’s main office to inquire when to expect the car that would take her to a costume fitting. Whoever answered didn’t recognize Freni’s voice (or, apparently, her name) and advised the diva that she shouldn’t be taking a car anyway, given that her hotel was right near a Metro stop. The offended soprano (perhaps muttering “e troppo! e troppo!”) then canceled her contract.
To mark the 70th birthday (and rumored retirement) of Luciano Pavarotti, “Unnatural Acts of Opera” presents a performance from the tenor’s pre-superstar period. It’s La boheme opposite Mirella Freni, with Thomas Schippers conducting, as broadcast on RAI (Rome) on July 17, 1969. After the acts, it’s even more of the Pav, singing scenes from I lombardi, Lucia di Lammermoor, I puritani and Rigoletto, 1966 – 1972. Act 1 begins tonight on Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Early reports from the Ann Arbor edition of the Renee Fleming Daphne Show (additional music by R. Strauss) might have been written by La Cieca herself: “”two hours of excruciating agony,” and “a snooze . . . . high register from back in throat, spread notes.”
Well, at least La Fleming won’t the the only one getting wood that night. (via Sieglinde’s Diaries)
Update: The guy proffering the Fleming/fellatio gift pack has updated his ad a couple of times today — his latest effort (“Free Opera at Carnegie + Sex!”) ups the ante by including photos of frontal nudity (warning NSFW!) to go along with the million-dollar gams we all saw earlier today. La Cieca is frankly surprised nobody in classical music has thought of this before — counteracting soft ticket sales by throwing in a free blowjob. (And it certainly suggests a new punchline to the old joke about “how do you get to Carnegie Hall?)
Another update: La Cieca’s mentions of “wood” in this item should not by any means be construed as a veiled allusion to her dear little sister (“I call her little, even though she is somewhat older than myself…”) the NYC Opera Fanatic. Everyone knows NYCOF is a natural strawberry blonde!
Quiz question: who said this, and in what context? “If you’ve got the right image and the right picture in your head, it makes a huge difference. The more you work with words in songs, the more you will find your texture. These are light, light songs, but if you really infuse them with a genuine character and reality, they will hold up much stronger.” Answer tomorrow, or else as soon as someone guesses it right.
“It’s always a treat to start the season with a pleasant surprise, and an exciting new dramatic soprano is one of the nicest discoveries of all—particularly when she heads up one of the strongest ensemble casts the Metropolitan Opera has fielded in years.” That’s our editor James beginning his 2005-06 season as a reviewer in Gay City News with critiques of Ariadne auf Naxos and Ariane et Barbe-bleu.
Ever feel a pang of nostalgia for the good old days when people dressed for the opera? For a quick cure, here’s a link you should keep bookmarked. It’s the “Look Book” section of New York magazine, featuring photos of some of the attendees of the opening night at the Met. By the looks of these opera buffs, La Cieca concludes that nothing has changed very much since the Edward Johnson era . In fact, La Cieca can think of only one important difference between then and now. Back in 1942, Mrs. George Washington Kavanaugh might quaff a slipper of [...]
Beginning tonight on “Unnatural Acts of Opera,” La Cieca presents a potpourri of operatic scenes and arias sung by latter-day stimmdiva Aprile Millo, including selections by Rossini, Verdi, Beethoven , Dvorak and Cilea.
Cher public, those of you who have written to La Cieca wondering at the frequency Anthony Tommasini uses the word “strapping” to describe opera singers of the male persuasion — well, wonder no more. According to the New York Times archives, Tony has flogged his favorite modifer no fewer than 44 times in the past decade. In one of those instances, admittedly, the “S” word is used literally, something about how Shirley Verrett was punished as a child (!!!) But the other 43 uses all referred to the physical endowments of the NYT critic’s favorite flavors of singer: tenors, baritones, [...]
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