“I thought you did it for me, Mama.” “I thought you did it for me, Mama…” I thought you made a no-talent ox into a star because you like doing things the hard way, Mama. And you haven’t got any talent! Not what I call talent, Mister Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart! I made you! And you wanna know why? You wanna know what I did it for?! Because I was born too soon and started too late, that’s why! [On Site Opera]
There wouldn’t be chandeliers bright enough!
“I thought you did it for me, Mama.”
By La Cieca 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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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.