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.
“Dmitri Hvorostovsky, Brain Tumor Gone and Cancer-Free, to Sing at Helikon Opera in November,” reads the headline.
“We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.”
La Cieca applauds Time Square concessioneuse Madame Tussaud for lending her exhibits as an added attraction at the Richard Tucker Gala
Take a moment, cher public, to thank our splendid parterre.com advertisers for the month of November.
“The reorganized company’s first several seasons would present productions ‘already judged an artistic success and box-office favorite’ elsewhere, such as Bizet’s Carmen and Streetcar Named Desire.”
A milestone of sorts is reached today at parterre.com: La Cieca and her team of experts have posted 7,000 articles on this WordPress-powered site since May 2005.
La Cieca is gratified and even mildly humbled to announce that parterre.com garnered over half a million pageviews in the month of October, representing over 30,000 unique visitors.
San Francisco Opera yesterday announced its third major cast change in five days.
Due to illness, soprano Nadine Sierra is unable to perform. Replacing Ms. Sierra in the title role of Lucia is Russian soprano Albina Shagimuratova.”
Don’t tell Sonya Yoncheva, but it looks like Angela Gheorghiu has stolen her costume from Otello Act 3.
Born on this day in 1907 costume designer Edith Head.
“Mezzo Susan Graham’s 2015-16 Includes Count/Countess Double Act at the Met Opera in November and December”
So, as La Cieca understands it, this Halloween Rene Pape is going as Alice Coote disguised as Simon Le Bon playing The Joker attending a Flock of Seagulls concert.
Everyone’s a critic, even the Met Opera on Demand player.
“OPERA America is delighted to announce that renowned actor David Hyde Pierce is serving as the Honorary Chairman of National Opera Week 2015, encouraging audiences to explore opera.”
Angela Gheorghiu is physically in New York and is rehearsing and being fitted for costumes (not pictured) for her impending brace of Tosca performances.
A Court of Appeals in Paris has ordered BelAir Classiques to remove from its catalog a video recording of Dialogues des carmélites as staged by Dmitri Tcherniakov for the Bayerische Staatsoper.
In this new work, entitled Can Belto, a group of terrorists kidnap and hold hostage Broadway diva Idina Menzel.
La Cieca thought the cher public might like to share some of their favorite Elektra videos and anecdotes.
“In naïve, or pure, Camp, the essential element is seriousness, a seriousness that fails.”
“English National Opera is staging a modern-day version of La bohème in which the lead female character is a heroin user rather than a consumptive.”
There is something for everyone on the internet, even classical music aficionados who are looking for fellow bacon-lovers to share stories about breastfeeding porn arrests.
“The Spanish musician went to hospital Tuesday night after experiencing extreme pain and vomiting after conducting Tosca.”
Put your hands together for Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has been named Musical America‘s Artist of the Year.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
