Headshot of La Cieca

Cher Public

  • Buster: We get Edith Haller in L’Upupa soon, with John Mark Ainsley ...
  • La Valkyrietta: Of course that was Eileen Farrell singing for Eleanor Parker...
  • Indiana Loiterer III: I don't know whether she deserves another award, but no doub...
  • Quanto Painy Fakor: If course people who sing at the MET pay for private coachin...
  • La Valkyrietta: There does not seem to be her Ernani Involami in youtube. ...
  • kashania: Oh, I'm leaving for a week's vacation today. Sorry to miss ...
  • That Guy: "Heard" is an overstatement, at least based on the one perfo...
  • grimoaldo: I noticed a couple of comments expressing surprise that toni...
  • kashania: Does that mean that Fleming will be semi-fake-acting?
  • grimoaldo: Siegfried will be Jay Hunter Morris who replaced the replace...

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You’re tearing me apart!

youre-tearing-me-apartSo, if you wondering when the spit is going to hit the fan (to quote another great ’50s teen angst opus), well, the date you’re looking for is October 9, 2010. Why is that date so special or unusual, you ask? Well, for the currently ailing James Levine, it’s the day he’s supposed to be in two places at more or less the same time.   Read more »

Full McCourt press

mawrdew_thumbBy popular demand (by which La Cieca means she is going to make this discussion happen if it kills half the free world), here’s the 2002 parterre box interview with Mawrdew Czgowchwz author James McCourt.

A problem like Maria

kizart_thumbThe much-publicized Takesha Meshé Kizart has withdrawn “due to illness” from the title role of Maria di Rohan at Caramoor tomorrow night (!!!) to be replaced by her cover, Jennifer Rowley.

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Golden girl

A very happy birthday to Susan Graham, who is 50 years old today!

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Annie Gets Her Rod

UPDATE: The news breaks today, and yes, it’s Debbie, but no, it’s not Shirtless Nathan.  Letting his defenses down in the role of Frank Butler at Glimmerglass will be Rod Gilfry. (Meanwhile, Mr. Gunn will continue his exploration of the esoteric Blusenrolle fach by role-debuting Eugene Onegin in Cincinnati.)

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Of Mawrdew Czgowchwz

La Cieca is delighted to throw out the first ball or lift her baton or whatever it is one does to launch a discussion, which in this case is on the topic of that most quintessential of all opera novels, Mawrdew Czgowchwz—though she does insist on prefacing anything she says with the caveat that she’s never presided over a book club before, so she asks your indulgence as she continues so as not to disappoint her public. 

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Thud!

The Met’s press office has just announced that “Stephen Wadsworth will direct the Metropolitan Opera’s new production of Mussorgsky’s Boris Godunov, replacing Peter Stein, who has withdrawn for personal reasons.”

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My eyes, my eyes!

Who knows better than Peter Gelb that “into each life some rain must fall” — especially now, when the Met honcho may have to replace a director who was the rock upon which was built the upcoming season?

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