Alan Kozinn in The New York Times:

Mozart’s music creates instant sympathy for the Countess, who sings the touching lament “Porgi amor” in her first moments on the stage. But the music cannot do the work alone, and in Ms. Fleming the Met has a lyric soprano who engages the listener immediately. Her timbre is pure and fresh, and she endowed the Countess’s arias with the combination of dignity and emotional depth that is the essence of the role.

Her responsive portrayal did not rely solely on the Countess’s desolation, but also captured the role’s playfulness, anger and, in the end, the Countess’s especially graceful form of forgiveness.

Happy 92nd birthday mezzo-soprano Christa Ludwig.

Happy 87th birthday mezzo-soprano Teresa Berganza.
On this day in 1894 Massenet’s Thaïs premiered in Paris.

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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