Announcing a new category on parterre.com, an award of sorts for examples of the garish, the gaudy, the over-the-top in things operatic. Not filth, mind you — we’re talking good, but just, you know, too much. La Cieca’s special jury prize for this type of operatic ham will be called “Le Jambon d’Or,” and our first recipient is the young basso Alexei Tikhomirov, who is currently honing his art at the Galina Vishnevskaya Opera Center.

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Of course La Cieca agrees that Mephisto is not supposed to be a subtle role; a “Jambon d”Or” performance of the part is surely preferable to a bland one. And yet, your doyenne cannot help but agree with the YouTube commenter whose assessment read, “Very enjoyable, but he seems to have studied at the Lou Diamond Philips Academy of Drama.”