The seasons alter The seasons alter

It takes a lot from your commenters to surprise La Cieca, but this time she was frankly bowled over by the depth and breadth of your imagination.

on February 27, 2012 at 11:11 AM
Steel yourself Steel yourself

La Cieca thinks it would be fun for the cher public to play George Steel (or, given the difficulty of the task, Superman) and devise an upcoming season for NYCO.

on February 22, 2012 at 2:36 PM

“City Opera Management has passed on an offer from the unions representing its musicians and singers that could have saved the company some much-needed cash. The proposal would have required members of the New York City opera to perform for free in the 2011-2012 season.” [NY1]

on November 17, 2011 at 1:01 PM

The Man of Steel is in danger again, this time from a new gang of supervillains: Lila and DeWitt Wallace. [NYT]

on July 19, 2011 at 10:06 AM

La Cieca’s spies tell her that the New York City Opera plans an extremely ambitious season for 2011-2012, with vast expansions of repertory and number of performances.

on April 01, 2011 at 8:36 AM

La Cieca has heard that, not to be outdone by Peter Gelb‘s discovery of hot young directors like Luc Bondy and Patrice Chéreau, NYCO’s George Steel is boldly leaping forward into the 20th century by signing up Peter Sellars for a series of productions. In other music news, everyone down at Danceteria is just wild…

on June 08, 2010 at 12:07 PM

When invited to participate in a discourse on artistic standards (hello, internet!), it’s easy — pleasurable, even — for an aesthete to bray about “the fall.” Where are the true heldentenors? Your kingdom for a Callas! (Or a Stratas, or a Rysanek!) And might the public, at long last, deserve a stable of directors who…

on May 19, 2010 at 10:25 AM

New York City Opera has announced its 2010-2011 season, and it looks like La Cieca’s precognitions were about 90% correct. (Please, hold your applause.)

on March 09, 2010 at 11:17 AM

The maniacal laughter of incorrigible NYCO nemesis Manuela Hoelterhoff continues to echo through the halls of Castle Bloomberg this morning, as yet another of the executive editor’s gang of henchscribes gloats over yesterday’s announcement of a curtailed season at the company that dared to snub Francesca Zambello. Poor paltry fools!

on January 07, 2010 at 11:57 AM

“There are thousands of papers, stretching back over hundreds of years, affecting Belle Reve as, piece by piece, our improvident grandfathers and father and uncles and brothers exchanged the land for their epic fornications — to put it plainly! The four-letter word deprived us of our plantation, till finally all that was left — and…

on January 06, 2010 at 12:02 PM

It’s always time for Stravinsky! [Ebay]

on December 21, 2009 at 11:40 PM

Squirrel was expecting boobs! People, there were no boobs, and for that, I was a little disappointed.

on November 22, 2009 at 8:46 PM

Doubling down on its artistic mission, New York City Opera begins a tenuous season with a turgid Bible drama.

on November 08, 2009 at 7:52 PM

According to the always reliable Zachary Woolfe, among the beans spilled at the NYCO “Koch” Gala last night was the strong suggestion (from no less than Rufus Wainwright himself) that a production of Prima Donna is planned for an upcoming George Steel-planned season. [New York Observer]

on November 06, 2009 at 1:08 PM

In the year and half that New York City Opera has been absent from the musical milieu of our metropolis, Tony Tommasini has been sadly deprived of one of his favorite topics of conversation. 

on November 04, 2009 at 10:28 PM

Is there no end to the talents of George Steel? Boy soprano, Bernstein protégé, conductor, impresario, endive fancier — and now matchmaker!

on November 02, 2009 at 1:16 AM

Whenever La Cieca (center) feels afraid, she doesn’t just hold her head erect or whistle a happy tune (though she’s been known to do both on occasion), she reminds herself, “You know, things could be a lot worse than what they are!”  

on October 14, 2009 at 12:24 PM

Well, all La Cieca can think is that the New York City Opera has just plain decided to win your doyenne over, because otherwise how can you explain why the company would present an art installation that combines her two very favorite things in the entire universe, i.e., couture and explosions?

on September 23, 2009 at 3:13 PM

George Steel manages to hold out for 140 words before dropping the inevitable name in this month’s issue of Edible Manhattan. The Man of Steel continues: The places that are famous tend not to be good. People are looking for an experience of authenticity and not really using their mouth. La Cieca should note that…

on September 14, 2009 at 4:33 PM

La Cieca is delighted to learn that “the New York City Opera and the American Guild of Musical Artists, AFL-CIO, have reached agreement on a new collective bargaining contract, helping to ensure City Opera’s continuing place in the forefront of American opera,” according to a press release from the NYCO. Since Alan Gordon and George…

on August 21, 2009 at 12:27 PM

George Steel recently gave Anthony Tommasini a sneak peak at his bulging Koch Theater. The Times scribe, “dodging sparks from welders and ducking under hanging cables” soon realized that the “boyish” intendant is just like President Obama, sort of. [NYT]

on August 15, 2009 at 11:38 PM

La Cieca is dubious about the effectiveness of City Opera’s new advertising campaign.

on July 24, 2009 at 5:24 PM

Casting is announced for the New York City Opera’s 2009-10 season. It’s all on their website, but here are a few highlights: The “American Voices” concert features “a roster of stars including Joyce Castle, Anna Christy, Joyce DiDonato, Lauren Flanigan, Anthony Dean Griffey, and Samuel Ramey, all of whom appeared [note the past tense] at…

on July 15, 2009 at 10:24 PM

Don’t expect much in the way of art at NYCO for the next few seasons, but, on the bright side, George Steel probably has sufficient water-treading skills to avoid drowning. [NYT]

on June 26, 2009 at 8:12 AM