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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.
La Cieca would like to introduce a new feature debunking a popular misconception about some aspect of opera. To kick of the series, let us take into consideration Manon Lescaut’s expedition into the “desert” of Louisiana.
As she herself points out, Zerbinetta is perhaps the first woman besides “the inimitable Heather MacDonald” to write a serious critique of Calixto Bieito‘s production of Die Entführung aus dem Serail.
Some rare midweek chatting fodder turns up this afternoon when the Glyndebourne Festival webcasts Ariadne auf Naxos at 6:55pm BST/1:55pm EDT.
Our JJ’s recent reminiscences over at WQXR about the whopping cost of a Ring recording back in the Mad Men era seemed all the more startling to La Cieca when she took a gander at a “new” live Ring offered by our friends at Opera Depot.
“American tenor Matthew Polenzani sings the title role opposite Natalie Dessay as Antonia, Christian Van Horn as the four villains, Angela Brower as Nicklausse, Hye Jung Lee as Olympia, Irene Roberts as Giulietta and Jacqueline Piccolino as Stella.”
We now take you to the Texaco broadcast booth for our weekly discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
Here’s a glimpse of the Regie route Anna Netrebko and Placido Domingo will go in November when they make their role debuts in Il trovatore at the Berlin Staatsoper.
Perhaps, you, cher public, will be crying out the above-mentioned phrase when you hear the most recent vocal collage prepared by our dear DeCaffarrelli.
La Cieca doesn’t branch out into The Film very often (even though she is quite the ardent cinephile) but the recent release—or, at any rate, the reaction to the recent release—of Baz Luhrmann‘s film of The Great Gatsby served to crystallize a few ideas bubbling about in your doyenne’s brain.
La Cieca is away, but the regular Saturday chat goes on uninterrupted: this week with archival podcasts of I puritani from 1972 starring Luciano Pavarotti and birthday girl Beverly Sills.
That most profound and controversial of all operatic composers was born 200 years ago today.
The question on everyone’s lips at Carnegie Hall was, “Is Jimmy back in form?”
One startling upset catches the eye among the many winners (if that is the word) of the 2013 Parterre Box Awards.
La Cieca invites the cher public to open up and discuss any off-topic or general interests they might want to get off their chest.
Peter Gelb says the Ring will definitely not return, as originally planned, in 2017, and where has La Cieca heard that before?
For tomorrow afternoon’s chat at La Casa della Cieca, your doyenne offers an unusual double blast from the past.
The Wiener Staatsoper should be a source of some interesting backstage gossip next September as the company presents on alternating nights Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca and Aleksandra Kurzak as Violetta.
>Andris Nelsons has been named the new music director of the Boston Symphony.
On this, the occasion of her 37th birthday [see below], La Cieca is happy to repeat the story of how she came to be born (as first told in the pages of parterre box, issue #28.
Our Own JJ (pictured) joins in the debate over the Düsseldorf Tannhäuser with Anne Midgette and John Berry.
It’s time to vote on the The 2013 Pubie Awards, cher public.
Now the deadline has passed for the Immolation Quiz, La Cieca is happy if a bit puzzled to announce that the result is a tie: two of the cher public were able to identify 23 of the 25 voices in the quiz correctly.
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
