The heroic forces of VAI ride to the rescue once more with a cleaned up release of one of the most coveted (and pirated) live opera telecasts: the NHK Lirica Italiana production of La fanciulla del West, starring the luminescent Antonietta Stella.  

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The performance also features Gastone Limarilli as Dick Johnson and Anselmo Colzani as Jack Rance with the NHK Symphony Orchestra is under the direction of Oliviero De Fabritiis. The newly remastered DVD offers the option of subtitles in English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish superimposed over the embedded Japanese titles, plus a 2008 interview with la Stella. VAI’s La fanciulla del West may be ordered from amazon.com.

Also new from VAI: the celebrated 1976 Adriana Lecouvreur starring Montserrat Caballé and José Carreras. A high quality clip from this performance may be found on YouTube.

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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