Gone (from the Met’s Faust) but not forgotten diva Angela Gheorghiu claims that Jonas Kaufmann has expressed to her his dissatisfaction with Des McAnuff‘s direction—which reportedly included an injunction to the tenor to do as he was told and not to question anything. She adds that Kaufmann has assured her she was right to cancel when she did. Yes, in this interview with Naomi Lewin, the word “fiasco” gets thrown around a lot. [WQXR]
“Now, it seems, OONY is returning to its star-driven roots, opening its season last night at Carnegie Hall with superstars Angela Gheorghiu and Jonas Kaufmann in Cilea’s sentimental diva vehicle Adriana Lecouvreur. The have to be there quotient was boosted to the roof by the fact that this performance would be Gheorghiu’s only New York appearance of the season since she chose not to participate in the Met’s new production of Gounod’s Faust.” Our Own JJ reflects on last evening’s Sternstunde in Capital New York. (Photo: Stephanie Berger)
The very brunette leading ladies of Adriana Lecouvreur, Anita Rachvelishvili and Angela Gheorghiu, flank the practically strawberry blond by comparison Jonas Kaufmann during bows last night after Opera Orchestra of New York’s season opener.
In preparation for tonight’s Angela Gheorghiu/Jonas Kaufmann Sternstunde at Carnegie Hall, La Cieca invites the cher public to share your favorite memories and YouTube clips of Adriana Lecouvreur performances present and past. (Photo: Alastair Muir)
La Cieca is always happy (if a little envious) when another critic expresses exactly how she feels about a musical event (such as Jonas Kaufmann‘s recital last Sunday at the Met) because that means she doesn’t have to blather on and on about it. Instead she can simply reply, “Check out what Zachary Woolfe has to say in the New York Times.”
This may seem a bit of a stretch, cher public, but stay with me. La Cieca introduces a new feature on parterre, named after not Lois Lane (pictured) but rather Lois Kirschenbaum, legendary Gotham opera fan. This Lois is widely regarded as a bellwether of noteworthy performances; or, to put it another way, if Lois is there, you know you’re in the right place. As such, this column will offer suggestions culled from the New York Opera Calendar for “the” performance in the NYC area each night of the following week. The elite are free to meet or not to [...]
Awesome Anita Rachvelishvili (top) will be the Principessa di Bouillon opposite the Maurizio of Jonas Kaufmann (bottom) and—presumably—Angela Gheorghiu in the title role of Adriana Lecouvreur for Opera Orchestra of New York on November 8, or as we call in here at parterre, “Die Nacht des Sternstunden.”
Jonas Kaufmann has canceled a tour to Japan with the Teatro Comunale di Bologna in September in order to schedule surgery to remove a “node” from his chest. [Intermezzo]
Cher Public