Mae WestAt the risk of contradicting Mae West (and, believe me, La Cieca sets aside a couple of hours a day to averting any such lèse-majesté!), too much of a good thing can be not so much wonderful as impossible.

The current iteration of that altogether necessary resource the Met Future Wiki currently lists a repertoire of 32(!) programs intended for the Met’s 2017-2018 season, which clearly is absurd. Your doyenne invites you to peruse the list after the jump and make such recommendations as may be necessary to bring the season down to a more manageable 27 titles. 

  1. Norma*
  2. Tosca*
  3. The Exterminating Angel*
  4. Cosi fan tutte*
  5. La Forza del Destino*
  6. Cendrillon*
  7. St Francois d’Assise*
  8. La Boheme
  9. Cavalleria Rusticana / Pagliacci
  10. Les Contes d’Hoffmann
  11. Dialogues of the Carmelites
  12. Elektra
  13. L’elisir d’amore
  14. Falstaff
  15. Le Nozze di Figaro
  16. Hansel and Gretel
  17. I Lombardi
  18. Lucia di Lammermoor
  19. Luisa Miller
  20. Madama Butterfly
  21. Les Mamelles de Tiresias / L’Enfant et les Sortileges
  22. The Merry Widow
  23. Otello
  24. Parsifal
  25. Pelleas et Melisande
  26. Romeo et Juliette
  27. Der Rosenkavalier
  28. Semiramide
  29. Thais
  30. Il Trovatore
  31. Turandot
  32. Die Zauberflote

* = New Production

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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