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.
Music Director James Levine (pictured, left) is obviously feeling well enough that he can get back to favorite pastime, i.e., making sure nobody else has a success except him.
La Cieca has just heard that Joseph Kaiser, due to unforeseen circumstances, will not be able to participate in Sunday’s Voce recital.
Perhaps to whet the appetite for the Met’s opening night just one week from now, Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin presents a gala performance of Le nozze di Figaro (with a cast headed by Teresa Stratas) from the Paris Opera.
Big changes in San Francisco’s Norma.
Which highly respected opera professional has been making a lot of childish scenes lately (even devising a fake identity on parterre.com!) in order to sow discord between two ex-clients?
The Metropolitan Opera just announced that 22 positions from its administrative staff of 254 have been eliminated as part of a company-wide program of cost cutting.
Valerian Ruminksi, that bass-baritone who shot off his mouth all over Facebook about a drag queen’s manicure and got fired from a prestigious gig with Opera Lyra—remember him?
Now that you know how to obtain same-day tickets to the Met, cher public, all that remains is deciding which operas you intend to see.
“[Renée Fleming] also proved herself skilled at musical comedy at times…. As for those aforementioned comic moments, she revealed her own fondness for Joseph Canteloube’s Folk Songs from the Auvergne.”
The legendary Italian soprano Magda Olivero has died.
Norman Lebrecht announces that Deborah Voigt , “one of the leading Brünnhildes of our time,” will join Rufus Wainwright to sing arias from Prima Donna (5) and will then join him in a duet of “If I Loved You” from Carousel and… oh, I just can’t.
Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin delves into the very recent past indeed to present Donizetti’s La Favorite in a concert performance starring Elina Garanca and Juan Diego Flórez.
“Jonathan Miller‘s Carmen for Mid Wales Opera has no sexual electricity, complains Rupert Christiansen“
La Cieca’s old, old, old friends at Opera Depot (not pictured) are offering 50% off on their entire collection of CDs and MP3s… but only for the next 48 hours!
Even bonbons are not as delicious as the weekly discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
A little bird from the meadow tells La Cieca that there will be a significant cast change announced soon for one of the Met’s 2014 productions.
“American soprano Rachel Willis-Sørensen, who last week won First Prize at the prestigious Operalia competition, will make her Met debut as Countess Almaviva in this December’s performances of Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro.”
Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin returns with a late 20th century masterpiece, Britten’s Death in Venice.
Parterrians are advised to gather together their parures, aigrettes and lorngettes and saunter back to their loges, because it’s time for discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
By special requestion of one of your doyenne’s favorite parterriennes, La Casa della Cieca was open tonight for the finals of the 2014 Operalia competition, webcast live from Los Angeles.
After a long summer drought, suddenly new Blu-ray and DVD releases are falling, as it were, from the sky.
Intendant Alexander Pereira halts the merry-go-round briefly to discuss Salzburg and La Scala with Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times.
Jamie Barton will make her San Francisco Opera debut as Adalgisa in Norma for five of the opera’s seven performances on September 5, 10, 14, 27 and 30. Ms. Barton replaces Daveda Karanas, who has withdrawn from the production for personal reasons.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
