La Cieca will next post from the dear old Deutschland, cher public!
“[J]udging singers in their 20s is truly difficult, especially with so much at stake for the finalists, including a $15,000 cash prize for each winner. Comparably gifted pianists in their 20s are much more likely to be technically assured and finished performers. Operatic voices, though, need long nurturing. Most young singers are still working out elements of their technique. Inevitably, the judges for these auditions are assessing the potential of the finalists as much as their actual performances. Moreover, as was made clear by the documentary film ‘The Audition,’ which followed the last round of the 2007 competition, performing in this concert could not be more high-pressure.” [Need You Ask?]
While La Cieca (not pictured) is nosing about the Old World, she fully expects the rest of you to keep on chatting as necessary. A list of chat-appropriate broadcasts follows the jump. Read more »
Or, for those of you who don’t take pleasure as La Cieca does in inventing totally bogus German compound words, Itinerary for the Regie Tour. Your doyenne and faithful sidekick Dawn Fatale (also pictured) will be hitting the continent later this week for a taste of productions done in the German style. Any European members of the cher public who might want to meet and greet are invited to contact us at lacieca@parterre.com. A detailed schedule follows der Sprung.
“The first rule of gambling is: You win some, you lose some. Still, it’s heartbreaking that on Friday at the Met, an opera about a compulsive gambler, The Queen of Spades, barely broke even.” Our own JJ (not pictured) knows when to fold them in the New York Post. (Photo: Marty Sohl / Metropolitan Opera)
La Cieca (not pictured) invites the cher public to gather around for a chat tonight during the Met’s season premiere of Pikovaya dama, beginning at 8:00 pm.
Some interesting turns of phrase in the Met press office’s announcement that Valery Gergiev will not (shockeroo!) show up tomorrow to conduct a single performance of Boris Godunov:
Among symbolic classical tropes, one of my favorites (perhaps because only another classicist will understand it) is Nessus’ Shirt, an emblem of glory (a promotion, say, or an expensive luxury) that destroys you.
Cher Public