“Miss Garden has made a new and striking impersonation as the heroine of this opera. She has conceived the Indian maiden as a very intense and serious young person. She is lithe and stealthily active in her movements, and even in her passion for the American officer and her devotion to Barbara—a devotion that leads her to the last verge of self-sacrifice—there is much of the savage. She executes the ‘Dagger Dance’ with feline grace and celerity.” [New York Times]
“Not Convincing as a Drama”
“Miss Garden has made a new and striking impersonation as the heroine of this opera.”
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.
