December 2011
Talk about this, that, or the other here, cher public, in your general discussion thread for the week of December 11.
Now that the retirement of James Levine is basically just a matter of patiently waiting out 18 months of inaction, it’s about time you, the cher public, were heard on the subject of the appointment of a new music director for the Met. A couple of polls for you after the jump.
Once again the Friday afternoon news dump reveals the Byzantine means by which the honchos and honchesses who rule the world of opera attain and consolidate their power.
James Levine will not conduct this spring or in the entire 2012-2013 season, says a press release from the Met. The most apparent result of this decision is that Fabio Luisi is now officially on the podium for all three of this spring’s Ring cycles. The complete press release follows the jump.
“After putting off for a week trying to make some sense of the horrific mess that is the Met’s new Faust, I’m finally just going to give up. There are some disasters that bear writing about as what you might call teaching opportunities: this season’s Don Giovanni, for example, as a cautionary tale about the…
“The reaction to Grandage’s Don Giovanni was revealing. For the critics, it seemed to fall between two stools: the show had been marketed as a theatrical event from a director who has won plaudits on Broadway; but what they got was something that looked, on the surface at least, rather old-fashioned.” The “dome-headed” general manager…
I’ve been a big fan of Donizetti’s Anna Bolena since I first heard it on recording and have always felt that it deserved a definitive recorded performance. Here’s a brief tour of why this hasn’t happened. There’s the Bible, also known as the live Scala relay with Callas and Simionato and musical cuts so egregious…
It was indeed a curious sensation making a late morning trek to East 59th Street, a block devoted to showro0ms for bizarre upscale furniture and lighting fixtures, and then to enter a boutique cinema specializing in Hindi films (the big coming attraction right now is Desi Boyz) — and all this before sitting down in…
La Cieca is just back from the HD of Don Giovanni from La Scala: excellent singing through the whole cast, strong conducting (if tending to the slow side) by Daniel Barenboim, and a smart, chic production from Robert Carsen that frankly makes Michael Grandage look like an utter bumpkin. The presentation will repeat here in…
I half-wanted to dislike it; my expectations were very low. Renée Fleming in the Baroque, after her very uncertain recent outings in bel canto! Let’s face it; this year, her Rossini (Armida) and Donizetti (Lucrezia Borgia) did not cover her in glory. How, at this HD relay on December 3, would she cope with Handel’s…
La Cieca hears that the New York City Opera is moving its administrative offices to 75 Broad Street, a location you surely remember as The International Telephone and Telegraph Building. The a 1928 structure boasts the mosaic dome glimpsed above, and (coincidentally) sits just across the street from the old Goldman Sachs building.
The superstar of recent competitions is Grimoaldo, particularly his response to the Analogy challenge. Also outstanding, his modesty notwithstanding, is Brooklynpunk, who nailed the “Interpolation” competition and is invited to enjoy the preview of The Enchanted Island tomorrow night.
George Steel has called for a mediator (pictured) to attempt to summon the departed spirit of the New York City Opera. [New York Times]
In case you’re wondering why there was so little drama onstage in that recent production, perhaps it’s because so much was exploding behind the scenes. Which merely adequate director tried to get that lush-voiced star canned? And which conductor was Johnny on the spot to broker a little brotherly love between the antagonists—the better to…
If you promise not to interrupt the music, cher public, you are invited to discuss any and all topic in this week’s intermission feature.
UPDATE: Blogger Out West Arts reflects on the “Occupy Wall Street” incident at the Met’s Faust last night, noting that the shouts (and various responses from members of the audience) did not interrupt the music.
To think, if I’d had a kid instead, he could be out there supporting me now, or at least off at college smoking dope and getting laid.
The first full week of December is mostly, but not completely, about the Met.
Oh, Rossini, Rossini! You mad, adorable fool! What power could you find in the theaters of Paris to keep you from Neapolitan arms? If you are fond of Rossini (or any other major composer), you will want to collect the whole set. Each piece of the jigsaw adds detail to the picture, but there are…
David Daniels (left) headlines a special sneak preview of The Enchanted Island on Wednesday, December 7 at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space. Also on hand will be Danielle de Niese, Lisette Oropesa and Luca Pisaroni, plus the pasticcio’s creative team, writer Jeremy Sams and director-designer team Phelim McDermott and Julian Crouch. Midge Woolsey hosts.…
Yes, in this interview with Naomi Lewin, the word “fiasco” gets thrown around a lot.
There were rumors all day in the usual places, on the search string: Philip Glass, Lincoln Center, OWS. The opera, though hypnotic, passed quickly, and Glass took a curtain call, got a hero’s welcome. Well, we thought, he can’t be both places at once.
UPDATE: Philip Glass emerged from the Met tonight to read to the General Assembly (via mic check) the final lines from Satyagraha: “When righteousness/ Withers away/ And evil / Rules the Land /We come into being /Age after age/ And take visible shape /And move / A man among men/ For the protection/ Of good…
Here’s a new idea La Cieca hopes will meeting with the approval of you, the cher public: a schedule of chats for the upcoming month, centered around the Met’s Saturday afternoon broadcasts and the “Listen Live” features during the week. Comments and addenda are, as always, welcome.
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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