La Cieca has just learned that Erika Sunnegardh will sing tomorrow’s Fidelio broadcast, replacing Karita Mattila, who is under the weather.
That Eveready Rabbit of a diva, Montserrat Caballe, is going to camp it up once more at the Vienna State Opera when she makes her role debut as the Duchesse de Krackenthorp (the Ljuba Welitsch part) in Laurent Pelly’s production of Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment in April 2007. This production, starring Natalie Dessay and Juan Diego Florez, is skedded to appear at Covent Garden and the Met between 2007 and 2008. No word yet if La Caballe will travel with the show, but La Cieca will be the first to encourage her: do it! (If the Met management is skittish about the possibility of a Caballe cancellation, then the obvious solution would be to engage Mme. Vera Galupe-Borszkh as her cover!)
La Cieca hears that Lorin Maazel is so devoted to “American Idol” that he has become an avid participant in the show’s online discussion board. The Maestro’s online alias (unlike those of several celeb participants in the parterre.com comments section) is not very difficult to figure out.
Speaking of living legends (as if La Cieca knows any other topic!), “Il pirata di Jackson Heights” himself, Charlie Handelman, is now podcasting. His show, “Handelmania,” features live (what else?) excerpts from his vastissimo collection. To hear the shows and to find RSS information, go to The Handelmania Podcast.
Which veteran Met star had his nose buried so deep in his score that he collided clumsily with a chorister at a final rehearsal? The low-voiced divo erupted in threats, but calmed down soon enough when he realized that he was yelling at the AGMA Rep!
Which soprano now has a large hole in her schedule half a year hence after canceling a bel canto role debut? She’s been replaced by a considerate colleague who fortunately had a coordinating hole in her schedule (though, unfortunately, rather an unpleasant hole in her voice as well.)
It does La Cieca’s withered old heart good to know that, yes, indeed, the filth just keeps on coming. Here’s a selection from a CD by Peter Anders Jr., who inherited his name (and that’s about it) from his famous father.
More photos are in from the Francesca Zambello Rheingold at the WNO. Pictured below: Fasolt and Fafner.
Which star canceled his Met season due to a very “committed” performance… of his own personal Mad Scene?
Devotees of Wagner’s Ring and the Fritz Lang Siegfried silent film (not to mention all those Lord of the Rings fanboys) will find at least something to enjoy in the miniseries The Dark Kingdom, beginning tonight on The SciFi Network.
Now, La Cieca admits that the bio for the guy who plays Siegfried begins less than promisingly:
German-born actor Benno Fürmann landed his first lead role in Bernd Schadewald’s Schuld war nur der Bossa Nova (Blame It on the Bossa Nova)
But, on the other hand, where else are you going to get the luxurious casting of Max von Sydow as Mime?
Those of you who are enjoying La Cieca’s video clips, as presented on Google Video and YouTube now can have a copy of your very own. A new web-based service called KeepVid lets you download any video on these sites to your hard drive. (Note that many of these videos are in the .flv format, which means you’ll need to install an FLV player in order to play them. Enjoy! Share! Information (see below) wants to be free!
Cher Public