Serious opera fan and internet pioneer Mike Richter died earlier this week. One of his many exhaustive projects was the mastering and encoding of hundreds of outstanding live opera performances onto CD-ROMs. Following the jump, a tribute to Mike in the form of an excerpt from his “Audio Encyclopedia.”

The following performance was one of 15 complete operas included on Mike’s disc “Italian Opera from the Teatro Colón.”

Giuseppe Verdi: Il trovatore
Teatro Colón, Buenos Aires, June 5, 1969

  • Manrico: Carlo Bergonzi
  • Leonora: Leontyne Price
  • Azucena: Fiorenza Cossotto
  • Il Conte di Luna: Piero Cappuccilli
  • Ferrando: Ivo Vinco
  • Chorus and Orchestra of the Teatro Colón; Oliverio de Fabritiis.

If you’re interested, cher public, La Cieca can upload and stream a selection from the Richter archives each Thursday. There’s enough material in Mike’s treasury to last us many years!

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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