“Taking the libretto’s description of ‘panther-like’ literally, Bacchus appears in a shiny leopard-print suit (well, close enough) and proceeds to creep up to Ariadne like a shy housecat.” Veteran blogress Zerbinetta (pictured, left) was right there for the Salzburg Festival’s gala Ariadne auf Naxos and the two-tenor version of La boheme, and reviewed both productions for the website bachtrack.
Kaufmänner
“Taking the libretto’s description of ‘panther-like’ literally, Bacchus appears in a shiny leopard-print suit…”
By La Cieca 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.
Comments
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
