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  • oedipe: I see, the other Camilla… 11:17 AM
  • A. Poggia Turra: I’m wondering if Ms. B was referring to HRH Chaz the Spaz? :D 11:05 AM
  • peter: Stemme’s Elektra has already been reported in a NY Times profile of her so I think Brad is safe. 11:01 AM
  • oedipe: It’s Siurina, of course, that’s married to Charles Castronovo! 11:00 AM
  • phoenix: Hope you enjoy your vacation manou. Weather has been unseasonably hot here in western New York and... 10:56 AM
  • ipomoea: Most Esteemed Betsy, Thank you for a wonderfully hilarious cleanup of the day. Humbling suggesting that... 10:56 AM
  • Betsy_Ann_Bobolink: Tilling, Nylund — I can never keep ‘em straight. Which one of them is married to... 10:46 AM
  • Quanto Painy Fakor: Yesterday Brad Wilbur posted a message on Opera-L concerning Stemme and a new MET production... 10:35 AM

Skating on the Nile?

“The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco.”

Actually, no, Mark Twain didn’t say it. That means this public-domain quotation is available for use by Donald Runnicles, who, according to the August Opera News, is about to find out what it means:

“Runnicles, of course, was not my appointment,” [David Gockley] says. “But we had enough good conversation. I think Runnicles knows now that he does report to me, even though his contract was renewed by the board during the last year of Pamela Rosenberg‘s administration. And he needs to know — I mean, he knows where his next renewal is coming from.”

Gong show

La Cieca hears that tenor Dongwon Shin saved the day at Opera Australia last night (or would that be tomorrow night?) when he jumped in on barely a day’s notice as Calaf in Turandot. And most of that “day” was spent on a plane from Chicago to Sydney! First reports are that the Sydney audience gave Shin a huge ovation “like nothing we’ve seen here in years.”

Here’s a clip of Shin in Turandot opposite Jennifer Wilson, his prima donna at Opera Australia.

"No, not B-flat, you fools! B-natural!"

Margaret Hamilton stars in the title role of The Licia Albanese Story.

(Actually, that is Margaret Hamilton, but the role is that of an eccentric Texas millionairess who hires a high school band to accompany her performance of the national anthem in the Astrodome. It’s the opening scene of Robert Altman‘s 1970 film Brewster McCloud. Amusing, though, to see how, three decades post-Wicked Witch, La Hamilton can so expertly dominate the screen in a cameo role.)

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"No, not B-flat, you fools! B-natural!"

Margaret Hamilton stars in the title role of The Licia Albanese Story. (Actually, that is Margaret Hamilton, but the role is that of an eccentric Texas millionairess who hires a high school band to accompany her performance of the national anthem in the Astrodome. It’s the opening scene of Robert Altman‘s 1970 film Brewster McCloud. Amusing, though, to see how, three decades post-Wicked Witch, La Hamilton can so expertly dominate the screen in a cameo role.)

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La publicite!

Well, who says that the summer is a slow news season for opera? The top story this week is that the Royal Opera Covent Garden is living up to it name (the royal part I mean) by casting Deborah Voigt as Ariadne for their 2007-08 season. And bravi to La Voigt herself and her publicity team for handling the story so well — it was everywhere on the net yesterday, including even Fox News. An interesting detail in the story is that currently Voigt is 135 pounds lighter than her peak weight, presurgery, which was two years ago, or in [...]

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Lose money now! Ask me how!

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Che faremo?

Due to server snafu, La Cieca has had to repost the “Che Faremo” poll. Please feel free to vote again (or for the first time!) Who should replace Lorraine Hunt Lieberson in the Met’s production of Orfeo? Alice Coote David Daniels Susan Graham Bejun Mehta Ewa Podles Dolora Zajick Nessuno — cancel the production!   

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Waft her, angels

The fascinating and unconventional artist Lorraine Hunt Lieberson died yesterday at her home in Santa Fe. We in New York heard her only infrequently in opera, most recently in Serse and La clemenza di Tito at the NYCO and Les Troyens at the Met. She was scheduled to sing Orfeo in a new production of Gluck’s opera at the Met next spring; no word yet on the Met’s website who might now be cast in these performances. In tribute to Ms. Hunt Lieberson, we will hear the mezzo-soprano in music from Handel’s Theodora tonight preceding the regular program on “Unnatural [...]

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