Ships in the night
As dear Rosalind Russell once said, “Politics makes strange bedclothes.”
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.
Coeurs amoureux
La Cieca hears that the Met’s opening night of the 2018-2019 season will be a new production of Samson et Dalila featuring Bryan Hymel and Elina Garanca.
Brooklyn Queen Express
Our own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin delves back into those days when there was another opera company in New York, and (what’s more) the opera done there was worth hearing.
The opera glasses are half full
Now that we have the good news (or anyway the goodish news) that the Met’s season will continue apace, let’s unbend a bit, cher public, and discuss off-topic and general interest subjects.
Once upon a Thames
“Likewise Susan Bullock and Nicholas Phan—leading exponents of Wagner and Britten respectively…”
Rule number 11
Cher public, you may remember that about 18 years ago a parterre writer called Dr. Repertoire came up with a handy list of rules for stage directors.
Luke swarm
La Cieca (pictured) fears that the parterre hive mind proved itself populated with more drones than workers this time around.
Separated at smirk
“Acciaio Azzurro, Ferrari, La Tigre: sono tutti la stessa faccia!”
Crunching the numbers
Now that it appears the Met’s labor crisis has been averted by successful completion of contract negotiations, La Cieca thought the cher public might be interested in seeing the exact terms of at least one of the pacts.
Belt, tightened
AGMA and Local 802 “have agreed to cut a little more than 7% of their members’ compensation during the first year of the four-year contract, growing to 7% in the second and third years.”
Overtime
UPDATE: The Met has reached tentative agreements with AGMA and Local 802. The contract deadline has been extended through midnight on Tuesday, August 19, to allow Local One and the other remaining unions with unsettled contracts more time to secure new deals with the institution.
The songs of La Bohème will live forever
Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin demonstrates the enduring quality of art with two performances of La Bohème four decades apart.
“Catalani is no Mrs. Billington”
The parterrians are invited to put the internecine squabbling on hold for a while, the better to discuss off-topic and general interest subjects.
Zing! went the strings of his heart
“Prince Charles‘s harpist, 27 leaves husband for Britain’s biggest opera star Bryn Terfel, 48″
Breaking opera news I can’t bring myself to care about
It was patriotism—and fate—that launched Heather Pawsey’s 19-year search for Ogopogo.”
Licia Albanese 1913-2014
La Cieca has just heard the sad news that the beloved soprano Licia Albanese died earlier this evening. She was 101.
If I had a talking picture of you
More Anna Netrebko, and all that means, tomorrow at 10 AM EDT, cher public, as the Salzburg Festival production of Il trovatore is webcast over medici.tv.
And all the rest is talk
“Labor! Oh, the problem of labor at the Met is gargantuan,” Our Own JJ (not pictured) would have said, had he thought of it.
How cher the public
You know, the commenters at parterre.com (pictured) may get a bit testy from time to time, but at least nobody here says stuff like, oh, for example…
The little gunmetal dress
Sleeveless Anna Netrebko sings the “Letter Scene” from Verdi’s Macbeth.
The secret of nymph
Mark Morris’ staging of Acis and Galatea at Lincoln Center is everything good about summer condensed into two hours.
Hello Amanda
Soprano Amanda Majeski will make her Met debut on the opening night of the 2014-2015 season as the Countess in Le nozze di Figaro, replacing Marina Poplavksaya “who has withdrawn for health reasons.”
Hooterdämmerung?
“It’s no surprise Kim Kardashian likes to dress as if she’s going to the opera each day.”
Faustian bargain
Two debuts of legendary singers on a single night highlight this performance of Faust from the final season of the Old Met, courtesy of Jungfer Marianne Leizmetzerin.