February 2009
… does Sondra Radvanovsky (particularly in middle voice) sound eerily like Shirley Verrett?
[Our Own Gualtier Malde (along with a few thousand other people) attended the public dress rehearsal of the Met’s new production of La sonnambula this morning. Here is his report.] Innocence, rustic naiveté and virginity just don’t get no respect no more. I should know, I grew up way out in central New Jersey and…
La Cieca hears the distressing news from Paris that Rolando Villazon was advised by his current management to cancel his March appearances as Werther in order to “rest and refresh the voice,” but as of today is still planning to go on in the Massenet opera. Villazon’s appearances in Paris run through March 18, leaving…
La Cieca continues her salute to the diamond birthday of Renata Scotto with a new episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera. The podcast features the first act of La sonnambula as performed at the Teatro la Fenice on May 26, 1961. La sonnambula, act 1 Renata Scotto (Amina), Alfredo Kraus (Elivino), Ivo Vinco (Rodolfo), Rosa…
[La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Camille attended Montserrat Caballe‘s Valentine’s Day duo recital earlier this month. Her reactions — which she admits it took her some days to sort out in her mind — follow.] After some reflection and reviewing Caballe’s Orange Festival Norma, once again, I can merely pipe up with my opinion…
A preview the new Decca recording of La sonnambula with Cecilia Bartoli and Juan Diego Flórez. Comments? Amazon.com Widgets
Now, you know La Cieca likes taking a confrontational attitude with operatic authority figures as much as any other gadfly. But she is going to say that this Jeremy Gerard may be carrying the bitch-slapping just a wee bit too far in his current Bloomberg.com screed on the New York City Opera’s year-long hiatus (“City…
Con sottotitoli!
Excerpt from Madama Butterfly, 18 October 1974, San Francisco, CA. Cio-Cio-San: Renata Scotto; Suzuki: Judith Forst.
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Bryn Terfel has returned to the Royal Opera after “a break from opera during which he sang concerts, saw his family and indulged a passion for sport.” [via Reuters]
Angel Taormina is back and she’s remixed!
If Florida Grand Opera can survive the critics, the company need have no fear of the recession! Singing, direction sink opera Leah Partridge provides fleeting sparks in lackluster “Lakme”
Angela Gheorghiu has canceled tonight’s performance of Rondine at the Met; presumably Maureen O’Flynn Katie Van Kooten will go on.
Courtesy of a particularly dear member of the cher public, La Cieca brings to you the printable Met Season Calendar for 2009-2010. Download PDF.
Those of you who have been fretting about the recent decline in dowdy, badly-coiffed divas who buy their gowns online will be happy to know that Fiorenza Cedolins is bucking the trend. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/CEzNJPYyKX0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Two weeks later, and the drollery just keeps a-drippin’ in the competition to provide some explanation for a rather curious opera scene depicting a lady apparently trying to drown a chambermaid in a hotel bathtub. The snappiest comeback, in La Cieca’s opinion, issued from wotan_in_inman, “We’ll disguise ourselves to fool both the Count and Figaro.…
La Cieca proudly presents the latest Unnatural Act of Opera, a 1974 concert performance of Salome. Salome Narraboth: George Shirley; Jokanaan: Norman Bailey; Salome: Birgit Nilsson; Herodes: Ragnar Ulfung; Herodias: Ruth Hesse; Page: Sandra Walker. Carnegie Hall, New York. December 18, 1974. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti.
La Cieca hears that Sondra Radvanovsky is not, in fact, making her Met farewell this year, but will return to the company in future seasons. Your doyenne is not sure what lesson to take away from this experience: either that whining to the media prematurely makes you look like a fool later on, or else…
UPDATE:Â “Joining City Opera will be Director of Artistic Planning Edward Yim, perhaps best known for playing an integral role in the exciting and highly successful multidisciplinary programming at the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Casting Advisor Steven Blier, an eminent pianist and vocal coach who is equally at home in the traditional operatic repertoire and…
“In Adriana Lecouvreur, Domingo manages to portray plausibly a character young enough to be his grandson. He is the dashing Count Maurizio, who is entangled in a romantic triangle with the celebrated actress Adriana and a scheming princess. The count’s excuse for two-timing Adriana is perhaps the most original in the history of cheating. He’s…
Florida Grand Opera announced today that Music Director Stewart Robertson has decided to relinquish his position at the conclusion of the current season in May 2009. It should be noted Robertson has not completely pried his mouth off the American teat, as he will continue as Music Director and Principal Conductor of the Florida based Atlantic…
Placido Domingo has been named the winner of the first $1 million Birgit Nilsson Prize for achievements in classical music. [via AP]
Sharp-eyed reader Sadie Salome writes: It seems I was the only one spent much of last night’s letter scene peering through her binoculars at Karita Mattila‘s fine acting, because I see no report on your site of last night’s mishap (and if it isn’t on your site, then it obviously hasn’t been reported anywhere!) As you…
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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