Oh, hell to the yes, it’s a divorce. Read more »
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.
Now, La Cieca asks you, cher public. Wouldn’t you think that someone as experienced in deconstructing Mozart as Gerard Mortier would find some new take on the role of the coy Zerlina, instead of all this “I would and then I waver, I tremble to depa-art” nonsense. Well, yes, you would, and so would La Cieca, but apparently we’d all be wrong, because, you see (as reported by Opera Chic earlier this evening) the Wiener Zeitung is now speculating that, well, maybe the Ingenuous Intendant is not coming to New York City Opera after all. Though, on the other hand, maybe not, he is. The gossipy piece from the Austrian website only goes so far as to say Mortier “hat anklingen lassen, dass er die Direktion der New York City Opera vielleicht doch nicht übernehmen möchte,” which includes enough conditional tenses to allow for at least a season’s worth of Wackelnraum.
UPDATE: Though, on another hand — and La Cieca realizes we are now up to three hands now, but Mortier is famous for his multitasking, isn’t he? Well, anyway, doesn’t it seem to you that with all the “will he or won’t he” controversy swirling, Mortier should be taking extra care to restate and reinforce his commitment to NYCO, and not letting things just sort of “anklingen lassen?” This tenuous control over one’s own message is beginning to remind La Cieca of the recent freefall of the McCain Presidential campaign, though she’s not sure who would be Sarah Palin in this analogy. However, it would not surprise your doyenne to see Mortier on Saturday Night Live guying his own elusiveness?
Your doyenne of course will be would have been most interested to hear reports of Mortier’s little talk tomorrow night at the Morgan Library and Museum, in particular any definite statements of “andiam, andiam mio bene.” But per the Morgan site (as pointed out by several of you cher public) that event has been postponed. Ah, well. Anyway. If (or as increasingly seems likely) when Mortier officially announces he is ditching NYCO, remember, cher public, you read it first here two months ago.
La Cieca doesn’t know how she manages it, but somehow Opera Chic managed to be first to get her hands on the official “debut” photos of The Schrott Tot. More perfectly adorable photo scans of l’il Tiago Aruã and his very attractive mom and dad are on the Chic’s site.
Opera Chic reports this morning that Gerard Mortier is throwing his hat in the, uh, Ring for the co-directorship of the Bayreuth Festival. The Belgian intendant is reportedly teaming up with Nike Wagner to apply for the top Bayreuth spot to be vacated as soon as it can be pried from Wolfgang Wagner‘s cold dead fingers. (And he’s not even dead yet, so don’t hold your breath.) The Mortier/Nike partnership is considered a dark horse for the job, with the odds-on favorite the team comprised of Wolfgang’s daughters Katharina Wagner and Eva Wagner-Pasquier.
With his usual impeccable taste, Ed Rosen has posted five selections of prime Giuseppe di Stefano on his Premiere Opera Podcast page. Investigative Operachic follows reactions in the Italian media. Opera News has republished a profile of the tenor from 2000 with some representative di Stefano anecdotes. And here di Stefano appears on Il Musichiere, an Italian version of “Name that Tune.”
Operachic reports, and further sources confirm, that tenor Giuseppe di Stefano died earlier today after an illness lasting several years. He was 87.
Cher Public