Those few of you who cherished meager hopes for any sort of artistic excellence at the Met might as well log off now, because the gala New Year’s Eve Tosca at the Met next season is going to be conducted by that hot young talent James Levine. Upon hearing the news, La Cieca was quoted as saying, “Oh for fuck’s sake.” 

You may recall that Levine’s experience with Tosca, dating back to 1871, includes the company’s previous new production of the work, when he led a whopping one performance of the 16-performance run.

parterre.com is now accepting predictions for when Bryn Terfel will drop out of the role of Scarpia.

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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