Douglas J. Cuomo

La Cieca’s old, old, old (and yet somehow ageless) friend Anne Midgette isn’t just sitting around for The Season to begin like us lazy bloggers. She’s been listening to new recordings of operas by living composers including Michael Nyman, Scott Wheeler and Douglas J. Cuomo. Mr. Cuomo is best known (as they say) as the composer of the theme for Sex and the City, but La Cieca is not going to hold that against him.

Oh, that didn’t come out quite right, because what La Cieca should say is that it’s hardly Mr. Cuomo’s fault that his music is about the only thing that survived unscathed as that TV series so massively overstayed its welcome. Anyway, Cuomo’s most recent opera, Arjuna’s Dilemma, will show up at BAM in November, and, if the excerpts available online are any indication, the piece might best be described as “Satyagraha Meets Confessions on a Dance Floor.” Which, again, don’t get her wrong, La Cieca thinks is pretty cool.

La Cieca

James Jorden (who wrote under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") was the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he wrote for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni. He also contributed a regular column on opera for the New York Observer. James died in October 2023.

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