Mike Richter meets Claudio Abbado
By
La Cieca
La Cieca assumes, or at least hopes, such an encounter is currently taking place on some other plane. In slightly more mundane terms, though, Mike Richter did “meet” Claudio Abbado, though not in the context of his celebrated CD-ROM series.
Here’s a salute to a side project of Mike’s, the mastering and release of selected video performances of opera that for whatever reasons had never been made available commercially. Among these discs, distributed by Image Mogul, is a document of one of the greatest projects in Abbado’s career, a lavish revival of Verdi’s Don Carlo at La Scala during the 1977-1978 season.
Verdi: Don Carlo
Teatro Alla Scala Milano – 7 January 1978
Placido Domingo (Carlo)
Margaret Price (Elisabetta)
Yevgeny Nesterenko (Filippo)
Elena Obraztsova (Eboli)
Renato Bruson (Posa)
Conductor: Claudio Abbado
Director: Luca Ronconi
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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Topics: claudio abbado, sweet thursday
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People: Claudio Abbado, Elena Obraztsova, Luca Ronconi, Margaret Price, Mike Richter, Plácido Domingo, Renato Bruson, Yevgeny Nesterenko
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Works: Don Carlo
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Places & Organizations: Teatro alla Scala
