By La Cieca 
Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin gets serious for a moment, or rather for about an hour and a half, with a performance of Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis led by Christian Thielemann.
Ludwig van Beethoven: MISSA SOLEMNIS in D-Dur, op. 123
Staatsopernchor Dresden
Staatskapelle Dresden
Christian Thielemann, conductor
Semperoper, Dresden
13 February 2010
Krassimira Stoyanova, soprano
Elina Garanca, mezzo-soprano
Michael Schade, tenor
Franz-Josef Selig, bass
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.
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.
