fussbudgetLa Cieca is delighted to begin a new series on parterre.com dedicated to the fretting, brooding and dithering of the Wazier of the Worriers, Anthony Tommasini. Our first examples (of many) follow the jump.

Rachel Willis-Sorensen, 25, a soprano from the Tri Cities area in Washington State, also earned a winner’s spot. While very gifted, she may have a period of self-examination ahead of her. With her gleaming voice, capped with big top notes, she was impressive in “Elsa’s Dream” from Wagner’s “Lohengrin” and “Come scoglio” from Mozart’s “Così Fan Tutte.” Straddling the Wagner-Mozart vocal divide is not easy, and Ms. Crocetto may have decisions to make. [NYT]

So, here’s the thing. La Cieca thinks a critic is free to like what he hears or not like what he hears. A critic can say, “We’ve found our new Lohengrin!” or he can say “Someone needs to tell that girl she is not ready to sing Adalgisa.” He can even get a little weasely and hedge, “Well, yes, she obviously ran out of steam in the coda, but that can be chalked up to nerves, bronchitis and a nasty bout of that dysmenorrhea that’s been going around.”

But La Cieca insists that it’s presumptuous and schoolmarmish for a critic to tsk-tsk and sigh and murmur “festina lente.” You’re not their mother, Tony. Isn’t it bad enough when you act like their creepy uncle?

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