Bryn Terfel recently showed up at a concert “with only minutes before he was due on stage” only to realize he wasn’t wearing any pants. [via Telegraph]
“English National Opera continues its strongest season in years with what promises to be another Jonathan Miller long-runner – a new La Bohème.” [via The Independent]
Almost a billion dollars in Italian government cultural funding will disappear in the next few years, which means massive cutbacks and possibly even closures to the country’s 14 opera houses. [via Chicago Tribune]
La Cieca hears whispers that Will Crutchfield‘s “Bel Canto at Caramoor” may be the next victim of the economic crisis. No reflection on Will (he can’t be expected to predict the future, after all), but the year the nation enters a recession is hardly the best time to try to put on Semiramide. Update: La Cieca just received an email from Crutchfield himself saying in part We’re struggling like everyone, and looking to cut costs in the current climate, but cancellation of the Bel Canto season is not even on the table, and our plan is to perform as scheduled (as inexpensively [...]
La Cieca extends her congratulations to her little sister Opera Chic for a namecheck in the AP story by Ronald Blum on the Met’s 2009-10 production cutbacks. According to Blum’s story, dropping Ghosts of Versailles from the Met’s repertoire will save “more than $1 million.” In the unfortunately ongoing “more bad news” section, La Cieca has learned that San Francisco Opera’s costcutting measures will include dropping Peter Grimes from next season.
Official word from the Met concerning rumored cutbacks in next season is that Ghosts of Versailles is to be replaced with a revival of Traviata, rolling over Angela Gheorghiu and Thomas Hampson. No word on what happens to Kristen Chenoweth, but Peter Gelb promises that the new productions are going ahead as scheduled. [via NYT]
This afternoon, after breaking the tragic news that Baltimore Opera seems to be on its last legs, Opera Chic added the startling tidbit that even the mighty Met is planning major cutbacks for next year. The blog says (with no source offered) that the company “is about to excise four [productions?] from their 2009-10 season.” Per Brad Wilber c/o Sieglinde, the Met’s ambitous 100% Peter Gelb-planned season is projected as follows: New productions: Tosca, From the House of the Dead, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Carmen, Attila, The Nose, Hamlet, Armida. Repertory: Le nozze di Figaro, Die Zauberflöte, Aida, Il barbiere di Siviglia, [...]
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