In honor of “Talk Like a Pirate Day” La Cieca invites you, the cher public, to share reminiscences (and, where applicable, YouTube clips) of your favorite pirate recordings. These need not necessarily include the appearance of Maria Callas.

To begin with, few live opera recordings can surpass the legendary 1959 Adriana Lecouvreur with the late Magda Olivero heading the cast, a document that is currently available as a free download from our friends at Opera Depot.

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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