Noted junk sculptor Dr. Jonathan Miller is now the subject of a biography and it appears he’s mellowed in his old age. Just joking! He’s as bitter and mean as ever, and now he’s even got Nicholas Hytner doing his badmouthing by proxy: “I happened to see that [1998] Figaro which was hijacked by the most disgustingly plush, scandalously self-absorbed conducting I have ever heard [from that] fat monster in the pit, James Levine.” Brits! You can’t live with them and you can’t kill them.  

In all fairness, La Cieca thinks we should draw a curtain over the unpleasantness of the past half-century and recall Dr. Miller at the zenith of his powers:

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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