As we lurch into the month of July, La Cieca (not pictured, one hopes) wants quietly but firmly to draw the attention of her cher public to some of the more interesting releases on audio and video newly available on Amazon.com.

Puccini: Il Trittico. Eva-Maria Westbroek, Ermonela Jaho, Lucio Gallo, Elenza Zilio, Francesco Demuro, Royal Opera Chorus, Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Richard Jones / Antonio Pappano.
Verdi: Falstaff. Ambrogio Maestri (Falstaff), Barbara Frittoli (Alice Ford), Meg Page (Judith Schmid), Mistress Quickly (Yvonne Naef), Massimo Cavalletti (Ford), Eva Liebau (Nannetta), Javier Camarena (Fenton), Peter Straka (Dr. Cajus), Martin Zysset (Bardolfo), Davide Fersini (Pistola). Orchester der Oper Zürich and Chor der Oper Zürich, Daniele Gatti. Staged by Sven-Eric Bechtolf
Wagner: Lohengrin. Recorded live at the Bayreuth Festival, August 2011. Georg Zeppenfeld (König Heinrich), Klaus Florian Vogt (Lohengrin), Annette Dasch (Elsa Von Brabant), Jukka Rasilainen (Friedrich Von Telramund) and Samuel Youn (Der Heerrufer Des Königs). Bayreuth Festival Orchestra and Chorus, Andris Nelsons (conductor) and Hans Neuenfels (director).
Strauss: Elektra. Jeanne-Michele Charbonnet, Angela Denoke, Dame Felicity Palmer, Matthias Goerne, London Symphony Orchestra / Valery Gergiev.
Placido Domingo and Katia Riccarelli: Great Love Duets. Scenes from Otello, Madama Butterfly, Un ballo in maschera and Francesca da Rimini.
Leontyne Price and Placido Domingo: Verdi and Puccini Duets. Duets from Otello, Un ballo in maschera, Manon Lescaut and Madama Butterfly.
Renata Scotto and Placido Domingo: Romantic Opera Duets. Scenes from Manon, Romeo et Juliette, Fedora and I Rantzau.
Janacek: Jenufa. Karita Mattila (Jenufa), Anja Silja (Kostelnicka), Eva Randova (Starenka Buryjovka), Jorma Silvasti (Laca Klemen) and Jerry Hadley (Steva Buryja). Chorus and Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Bernard Haitink.
Mayr: Demetrio, Re Di Siria. Live Aufnahme vom Moutier Festival, Schweiz. Bénédicte Tauran, Amaya Dominguez, Piotr Friebe, Lisandro Abadie, Elizabeth Bailey, Matteo Mezzaro. Orchestre Symphonique du Jura; Opera Obliqua Stand de Moutier. Facundo Agudin, conductor.

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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