January 2007
A galaxy of talent sufficient to cast an Arena di Verona production of Sondheim’s Follies assembles in the following recording. It’s the “Ride of the Valkyries” as sung on February 13, 2003 at a gala performance in Tokyo. Wotan’s daughters, in order of appearance: Alessandra Marc (Gerhilde), Eva Marton (Helmwige), Karan Armstrong (Waltraute), Agnes Baltsa…
Don’t forget that this Friday, February 2 is “Gay Hookup Night at the Met,” or as it is more formally titled, “Connect at the Met for Gay and Lesbian Singles.” Whether your goal is serious husband-hunting, a casual encounter to share Champagne and dessert, or just to demonstrate that there are some queens out there…
Dame Kiri perturbed by flying underwear, court told Underwear tossing a deal breaker for opera star TE KANAWA PULLED OUT OF CONCERT BECAUSE OF RAUNCHY FANS Court told of dame’s fear of undie throwers Dame Kiri got knickers in twist over concerts
In honor of the soprano’s return to the Met in Jenufa, a selection of performances from 1959 – 2004.
“Of Edita Gruberova‘s debut here two weeks ago, Hanslick wrote in Latin Inches, ‘Not since Elisabeth Schwarzkopf melted the heart of a gazillion year old fan seated far up in the loge of the great Everard Baths has any artist managed to slide both the waggish and buxom aspects of Wagner’s strapping little jailer-girl. Her…
That most versatile of all golden-age divas, Lilli Lehmann, must be looking down from Paradise right now with a peculiarly puzzled expression on her face, for at last she has a rival. Meet Ingrid Höfer, an artist with a “mission to sing.” Mme. Höfer’s discography reveals that her range runs the gamut from Traditional folk…
On a new episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera that can only be called fabulous, we hear the first act of Un ballo in maschera as it was performed at La Scala in April of 1956. Gianandrea Gavazzeni is the conductor, and even by the lofty standards of Unnatural Acts of Opera the cast is…
La Cieca’s cher public are, as in so many aspects of their existence, well ahead of the curve on foreknowledge of casting at the Met in the bel canto and German wings. Perhaps this wintry Friday is a good time to move on to a more semi-substantiated gossip, now on the subject of the operas…
A radio script that La Cieca promised to deliver tonight sits unfinished, and only you, cher public, can save the doyenne’s bacon. The best completions will be eligible for lavish prizes. If you care to give the old girl a hand, just follow this link.
The HD video of the Met’s “special 100-minute version” of The Magic Flute makes its network television debut tomorrow night on PBS. Julie Taymor‘s production of Mozart’s opera can be seen on Wednesday, January 24 at 9 p.m. (ET) on PBS; as usual, check local listings and your mileage may vary. Headlining the telecast are…
“It was an affair to rank with the coming of Christ, the death of Garland, the birth of the blues, and the freezing of spinach.” — Arthur Bell, Village Voice. “Miss Steber appears from the steam room in a chiffon gown, loaded with diamonds and a black towel draped around her waist. Mrs. Leonard Bernstein,…
Angela Gheorghiu will replace Krassimira Stoyanova for a single Met performance of Traviata on Saturday, March 24.
Today is the shared birthday of Placido Domingo and Charlie Handelman. Unfortunately, there’s no YouTube video of these two together, so La Cieca will make do with the next best thing: a Domingo/Domingo duet:
In honor of the one and only Met broadcast of Maria Callas, La Cieca announces yet another of her online chats. Join your darling doyenne on Saturday afternoon, January 20 to discuss the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera broadcast of Lucia di Lammermoor. The Ravenswood Chat Room will open its doors at 1:15 PM EST Saturday. See…
So, does this text for Principessa di Bouillon sound like outtakes from Isolde, or what? O Wollust, voller Pein!Glück und Qual im Bunde!Du still verzehrend Sehnen,Schnell geschlagne Wunde!Heisse Glut, Schauer, Zittern,Und Wahnsinn, SchreckenMuss in des Liebenden Brust Das Warten wecken!Jeder Laut, jeder Schatten,Leis die Nacht durchwebend,Will gegen die zitterndeSeele sich verschwören,Zwischen Zweifel und SehnenBangend und…
So, who can identify the following lines of text? Ich bin nur die Magd, die schwache,Des Genius, der da schafft;Er leiht mir seine Sprache,In Herzen streut sie meine Kraft.Ich bin des Lieds Betonung,Sein Schicksalswiderhall;Sein Werkzeug, seine Wohnung,Der starken Hand Vasall.Bald mild, bald heiter, bald Unheil kündend,Man nennt mich: »Treu dem Sinn«,Mein Klang: ein Lüftchen, schwindendIm…
Gala Gloria Swanson (sixtyish at the time) trills out a tune from a musical version of Sunset Blvd. that, alas, never made it off the drawing board.
On the current episode of the all-new Unnatural Acts of Opera, the Apocryphal Opera Anecdote Theatre of the Air presents the two-act radio drama “Adelina Patti’s Shoe.” Also in this episode: La Cieca spills the beans about the Met’s planned German repertoire through 2012. Oh, and did she mention Act 2 of Der Barbier von…
The scene from Candide that was the bone of contention between Robert Carsen and Stéphane Lissner.
La Cieca and sidekick Milton Host are back with another rarity: Der Barbier von Bagdad by Peter Cornelius. Joining them in the studio with repurposed commentary: a formidable diva of the Johnson era. (No, not Lyndon Johnson. Edward Johnson.) Act 1 is available now at Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Good times and bum times — She saw them all, but my dear,She’s no longer here.The actress everyone is eulogizing as the “definitive Lily Munster” had another, in La Cieca’s opinion far more important credit. In 1971 Yvonne de Carlo created the role of Carlotta Campion in Follies, and introduced the showbiz anthem “I’m Still…
“In Leonard Bernstein‘s clever one-act opera Trouble in Tahiti, the heroine describes a gaudy movie musical as so much ‘Technicolor twaddle.’ If Tan Dun‘s new work The First Emperor (heard at the Metropolitan Opera on December 29) can hardly be dismissed as twaddle, it never attains the epic status to which it aspires.” Our publisher…
Legendary diva Nazimova in a scene from her 1921 film version of Camille.
The all-new (or at least somewhat-new) Unnatural Acts of Opera relaunched this morning at 8 a.m., only 12 hours behind schedule. Thrill to the dulcet voiceovers of new guy Milton Host! Delight in La Cieca‘s flattering new microphone placement! Tingle with excitement as the superstar team of Luciano Pavarotti and Beverly Sills sing I puritani!…
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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