Those among the cher public inclined toward philanthropy and/or star-gazing will want to check out the details on a gala fundraising dinner and concert for the Marcello Giordani Foundation on May 7. The evening will feature performances from young singers and a litotic “Lifetime Achievement Award” presented to Magda Olivero (in virtual attendance via videoconferencing from her home in Milano) by parterre fave Aprile Millo. [Marcello Giordani Foundation]
A tipster writes:
Word is: The artistic administraion of the Met, always concerned about maintaining the highest possible levels of intenational artistic experience for their paying audience, are allowing Marcello Giordani to decide, after his Berlioz matinee, whether or not he wants sing the 8pm Butterfly.
… but La Cieca finally got the chance to get her beauty winks last night following a weekend of moving house. The Sunnyside Studios (where our editor JJ and his lovely vis-a-vis cohabit) are now on the ultra-fashionable northern side of Queen Boulevard, and it looks like they got out while the getting was good, because only a couple of weeks ago La Cieca saw a hipster on the old block, so you know that part of Sunnyside is doomed, I tell you, doomed.
Anyway, in the meantime, “felonthropist” Alberto Vilar was convicted on all counts, which of course sent your doyenne on frantic search of Google Images to find a photo of the convictee with his old buddy Joe Volpe. Alas, every such image has gone down the oubliette, figuratively speaking.
Anyway, the broadband internet is finally working at the new place, and so La Cieca will stop with the Roberto Aronica act and start showing up once in a while. (Marcello Giordani can’t do it all, you know!)
A jump-in a due in tonight’s Met Butterfly, as Maria Gavrilova and Marcello Giordani substitute for Patricia Racette and Roberto Aronica . Earlier today at the production presentation and first rehearsal for Thaïs, Olga Makarina played the titular hooker — while Renée Fleming played hooky.
Cher public, who else but La Cieca brings you such in-depth arts coverage that you get not one but two reports from spies at the dress rehearsal of the Met’s new La Damnation de Faust ? After the jump, eyewitness accounts of the Lepagerie from Our Own Gualtier Maldè and Sanford.Â
Got to give credit to Bryn Terfel: he’s now canceling a whole season in advance. The bass-baritone scrapped his spring 2009 appearance in the Met’s L’elisir d’amore several months ago, and now he’s pulled out of the company’s 2009 opening night, a new production of Tosca that now stars Karita Mattila and Marcelo Alvarez. The frankly unstarry Juha Uusitalo subs as Scarpia under the baton of James Levine in this new Luc Bondy production. Uusitalo is also skedded for Jack Rance in the 2010-2011 Fanciulla which is to feature Marcello GIordani‘s Dick, plus plucky hometown favorite TBA as the eponymous [...]
La Cieca hears that Marcello Giordani has withdrawn from his scheduled June and July performances as Cavaradossi at the Arena di Verona this summer. The June 21-July 19 performances will be shared between Marcelo Alvarez and Carlo Ventre. Giordani’s next stage performances will be his role debut as Alvaro in La forza del destino in Vienna beginning September 6.
Cher Public