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.
Starting in just half an hour, a live broadcast of Faust from De Nederlandse Opera starring Michael Fabiano and Irina Lungu.
The apparently underemployed mezzo Alice Coote has been hitting the laptop again, this time delivering a rant that only makes sense if you read it aloud, slurring, “An’ another thing!” after each paragraph.
There goes my very last nerve.
Your Own La Cieca has emerged from semi-retirement to present the 2014 Pubie Awards.
By special request of Our Own DeCaffarrelli, and courtesy of Mike Richter, here’s a treat: a 1969 performance of La Cenerentola starring the delectable Teresa Berganza.
Alan Gordon replies to a letter from Peter Gelb we haven’t seen yet. La Cieca has to wonder if the Wendy White thing is really going to turn out to be an effective negotiating tactic.
Cher public, you know that Rupert Christiansen is not someone with whom your doyenne often agrees, but this time he’s got it right.
Malena Ernman heads a starry cast in this 2011 performance of Serse from the Theater an der Wien, courtesy of Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin.
La Cieca (pictured) is hard at work creating interesting new content for the upcoming week at parterre.com, but in the meantime she urges you to talk among yourselves about off-topic and general interest subjects.
La Cieca reminds the cher public (pictured) of today’s live webcast of Der Rosenkavalier from Malmö Opera starting at 1:00 PM, accompanied by a chat session in La Casa della Cieca.
The Met has released what the press office calls “background financial information” relevant to the company’s ongoing union negotiations.
The board of La Scala voted today to oust incoming general director Alexander Pereira at the end of his first season amid allegations of a conflict of interest.
The mighty Teatro Colón Ring cycle draws to a close, courtesy of Mike Richter‘s superb CD-ROM “El Anillo.”
Yes, it’s that time of year again, cher public: the day we follow the trail of votes to find out which artist will win the treasure of a 2014 Pubie Award.
“A lot seems to be spent on productions that simply aren’t worth it.”
That day we all knew eventually would come did come, in the winter of 2001, when the final issue of parterre box, the queer opera zine was mailed out to the cher public, such as they were at the time.
“Toilets occupy me a great deal because, well, this is England after all and they matter.”
Thanks to Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin, here are a pair of short Puccini operas, Le villi and Suor Angelica.
The Met season may (just) be over, but it’s always the right time for discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
La Cieca wishes the divine Jessye Norman the very best of luck with her newly-released autobiography
Stand Up Straight and Sing, because—not to put too fine a point on it—it doesn’t look like the diva is going to make much of a go of her second career as a saloon singer.
David Daniels and Whitney Walters will be married on June 21st in Washington, DC by none other than Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.
Legendary Birgit Nilsson heads a spectacular cast in the second act of Götterdämmerung, our latest treasure from Mike Richter‘s trove of CD-ROMs.
The Met may be missing an angle calculated to appeal to the more adventurous attendee: opera as game of chance.
Leave it to that savviest of all divas, Jessye Norman, to work a subtle product placement into the very first chapter of her newly-released autobiography, Stand Up Straight and Sing.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
