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.
Our most recent Regie quiz yielded lots of guesses from the cher public, many of them very clever indeed.
“The Met’s new Ring is the most frustrating opera production I have ever had to grapple with.”
The repertory for the upcoming season of the English National Opera (also known as “Peter Gelb‘s shopping list”) boasts the world premiere of a new opera by Philip Glass, The Perfect American, which imagines the last days of Walt Disney.
A friend of the box just reminded La Cieca that tonight, April 22, 2012 is the 40th anniversary of the farewell gala honoring Sir Rudolf Bing.
It turns out we were wrong all along, cher public: the Robert Lepage production of the Ring at the Met is in fact a triumph.
La Cieca has just had the news confirmed that Natalie Dessay canceled after Act 1 of La Traviata earlier this evening at the Met.
Has the week really gone by so quickly?
La Cieca hears that Diana Damrau has withdrawn from the Royal Opera’s production of Robert le Diable (due to open December 6) because of pregnancy.
After an absence of seven seasons, tenor Richard Leech will return to the stage of the Met on April 27 as Albert Gregor in The Makropulos Case.
You’ve heard what it sounded like; now you can see Saturday afternoon’s HD of La traviata, thanks to YouTube.
Coverage starts live, here on parterre, at 11:00 AM.
The acclaimed Théâtre du Châtelet production of Nixon in China will, unlike the revolution, be televised.
Brian Kellow‘s “Coda” piece in the current Opera News, summarized: “I’m so cranky that even namedropping has lost its thrill.” (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Tenor Nikolai Schukoff (recently Parsifal in the Lyon production) displays so much furry semi-nudity on his web site that the page should be called “Otter Space.”
Zachary Woolfe went to Las Vegas and all we got was a thoughtful analysis of why Robert Lepage was never a good fit for the Ring.
Like everyone else, La Cieca was watching Mad Men last night, and suddenly something clicked.
This busy production stumped just about everyone.
Let not the warm days of spring tempt you too far away from this week’s discussion of off-topic and general interest subject, cher public!
A sharp-eyed spy at tonight’s performance of Die Walküre at the Met notes that, while there were no malfunctions of the Machine per se, there was an unexpected projection toward the middle of the third act.
Some days you can feel like a hero just getting out of bed in the morning.
The story is short, but to the point: this soprano has been “sacked” from a major opera house’s gala Puccini revival.
Here’s a taste of what’s in store for the Met’s HD audience on Saturday
La Cieca wants to be among the first to congratulate soprano Ailyn Pérez, who is the winner of the 2012 Richard Tucker Award.
“I will be on #Broadway again!”
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
