parterre box » the people’s diva http://parterre.com where opera is king and you, the readers, are queens Sun, 27 May 2012 16:00:27 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Just what I wanted! http://parterre.com/2012/02/23/just-what-i-wanted/ http://parterre.com/2012/02/23/just-what-i-wanted/#comments Thu, 23 Feb 2012 15:58:18 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=24440 La Cieca (pictured, left) celebrated her birthday early this year when she unexpectedly received the perfect gift—the following press release:

Tune in to PBS on Friday, April 6, 2012 at 8:00p.m. for Live From Lincoln Center’s telecast of America’s favorite soprano and “the people’s diva” Renée Fleming in a special intimate concert from the Stanley H. Kaplan Penthouse. Featuring the rarely-performed American masterpiece, Knoxville Summer of 1915 by Samuel Barber, the program also marks the first New York concert performance of songs from Ms. Fleming’s acclaimed new pop and indie-rock album, Dark Hope. A favorite of this Emmy Award-winning series as both performer and host, Ms. Fleming will also perform Broadway favorites and duets with popular vocalist Josh Groban.

Relative newcomers to parterre who may be wondering what the hell La Cieca is babbling about are invited to view a snippet of La Scoopenda’s previous Kaplan Penthouse foray, from 1999:

]]> http://parterre.com/2012/02/23/just-what-i-wanted/feed/ 32 Doink doink! http://parterre.com/2011/01/27/doink-doink/ http://parterre.com/2011/01/27/doink-doink/#comments Thu, 27 Jan 2011 20:41:02 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=19096 law_svuLa Scoopenda meets Detective Stabler when The People’s Diva Renée Fleming appears on a very special episode of Law & Order: SVU. According to TV Squad, La Fleming will play a supporting role in the “Bully” episode which stars Kate Burton “as a wicked boss whose business partner is murdered.” 

“Fleming’s voice will be heard as the mother of one of the victim’s co-workers,” notes the article. “The character is a former opera star and plays a key role in the episode.”

“In other SVU news, Countess LuAnn from The Real Housewives of NYC will guest star in the Feb. 23 episode.”

]]> http://parterre.com/2011/01/27/doink-doink/feed/ 74 The law of diminishing divas http://parterre.com/2010/09/13/the-law-of-diminishing-divas/ http://parterre.com/2010/09/13/the-law-of-diminishing-divas/#comments Mon, 13 Sep 2010 16:10:26 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=16855 anita_arrivesLa Cieca invites the cher public to act as blue-ribbon panel in selecting the singers to be included in the “Greatest Diva” study.  Voting after the jump. 

So here’s how it works. After much consideration, La Cieca came to the conclusion that what we really need here are two divisions: “classic” divas who continued to sing past 1980 but are now no longer on the boards; and “current” divas who are still (more or less) active.  A few artists seemed to straddle the categories, but your doyenne applied her usual Solomon-like judgment to ensure proper bifurcation.

Following are two polls. You may vote for up to ten (10) divas in each poll. The ten divas in each division with the highest number of popular votes will be submitted to the “Greatest Diva” study.

Okay, so here we go.

Take Our Poll Take Our Poll

The polls will remain open through midnight on Wednesday, September 15.

]]> http://parterre.com/2010/09/13/the-law-of-diminishing-divas/feed/ 211 When I haven’t sung my songs http://parterre.com/2009/11/04/when-i-havent-sung-my-songs/ http://parterre.com/2009/11/04/when-i-havent-sung-my-songs/#comments Wed, 04 Nov 2009 13:15:53 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=9228 fleming_south_bank
“Renée herself seemed as if she’d rather be somewhere else. Kicking off with a fussy rendition of Tatiana’s long letter scene from Eugene Onegin, her voice only clicked into gear towards its end. (Wasn’t there any time to warm up?) At which point she took a twenty minute break while the orchestra slugged through their Tchaikovsky…. Then it was CD promotion time, with three brief arias by Leoncavallo and Giordano followed by Manon’s ‘Sola, perduta, abbandonata’ from Manon Lescaut. And that was it.”

Sister blog Intermezzo and her coterie of cheesed-off public bemoan the “scant” programming last night’s “concert” by The People’s Diva — though her “gorgeous and flattering biscuit satin gown… designed by regular concertgoer Vivienne Westwood” escapes unscathed.

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/11/04/when-i-havent-sung-my-songs/feed/ 17 Carry my bust with pride http://parterre.com/2009/09/23/carry-my-bust-withpride/ http://parterre.com/2009/09/23/carry-my-bust-withpride/#comments Wed, 23 Sep 2009 15:29:18 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5495 Photo: Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera

Is it just me, or is Patricia Racette on the cusp of turning into Aprile Millo?

(Oh, and while we’re on the subject: it certainly took her long enough, but finally The People’s Diva really looks like a diva! Brava, you go on like this!)

]]> http://parterre.com/2009/09/23/carry-my-bust-withpride/feed/ 26 “mi” a name to call herself? http://parterre.com/2009/09/16/mi-a-name-to-call-herself/ http://parterre.com/2009/09/16/mi-a-name-to-call-herself/#comments Wed, 16 Sep 2009 15:39:42 +0000 La Cieca http://parterre.com/?p=5347 fleming_people

Just texted to La Cieca:

Am at Philharmonic dress. Her Messiaen was luminous. Far the best thing I’ve heard her do.

Which is excellent, brava, you go on like this. But, La Cieca being La Cieca, you know she is going to harp on this little gem:

Known as “the people’s diva,” she continues to grace the world’s greatest opera stages and concert halls, now extending her reach to include other mediums.

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