By La Cieca 
Update: Impresario Gerard Mortier died earlier today of pancreatic cancer, according to De Morgen. He was 70.
Here is Mortier’s final great success, a production at the Teatro Real of Gluck’s Alceste conducted by Ivor Bolton, directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski and featuring Paul Groves and Angela Denoke.
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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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.
