Pain and suffering
A woman unhappy with the Bolshoi Opera’s controversial staging of Ruslan and Ludmila was denied a one million ruble compensation bid by Moscow’s Tverskoi court on Monday.
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.
Recovered girl
Here’s a bit of good news for all you Traviata fans with tickets for tomorrow night’s Met performance or Saturday afternoon’s HD.
Starless night
An understudy saved the show at the Met’s La Traviata Friday night, but no star was born.
Square cut or pear shaped
La Cieca (in larger tiara) thinks it’s high time we all took a break from Regie watching and everything else…
Daniela abbandonata
Our own Ercole Farnese has alerted La Cieca to a breaking story in Il Secolo XIX: Dessì diserta Genova per amore.
Geherheimnis
“Since no opera company in the U.S. has quite got up the courage to present a Herheim production, this webcast offers us a chance to sample this director’s unique style of Regie.”
Cover up
Says the Met’s press office: “Hei-Kyung Hong will sing the role of Violetta Valéry in Verdi’s La Traviata at tomorrow’s performance, replacing Natalie Dessay, who is ill.” (Photo: Marty Sohl)
It might as well be spring
…and songs from her 2010 indie rock album Dark Hope.
Damage control
Just in time for the beginning of the first cycle of the Robert Lepage Ring (pictured), Peter Gelb tries to convince Anthony Tommasini that everything is just fine, thank you…
Red dress diaries
La Cieca has just received a complete report from her spy at today’s open dress rehearsal of La traviata at the Met.
J’ai désespéré dans les feux de tes charmes
Since wer’re already in a Massenetesque frame of mind, cher public…
8-bit Regie
Even if no one guessed the correct opera on our most recent Regie quiz, Our Own Batty Masetto did the next best or perhaps even better thing…
More news from the future
Here La Cieca has scarcely returned home from a very pleasant concert performance of Pipe Dream (feeble show, attractive songs, fine cast) and what should she find in her inbox but an alert from the Playbill Club.
Slut shaming
The Wall Street Journal‘s Heidi Waleson is the latest to chime in with the “Manon must be an innocent virginal child” thesis, and La Cieca is uneasy about the implications of this line of reasoning.
Fishy realness
Rusalka, in the marvelous production by Stefan Herheim, is now streaming live from La Monnaie.
The party’s over
When the hard-partying heroine of Massenet’s Manon hits bottom, she literally lands in the gutter.
The world is your balloon
If it wasn’t anything special as art or even entertainment, Lyric Opera of Chicago’s recent production of Rinaldo (March 24) does offer an excellent peg on which to hang an argument about the future of opera in America.
Saint Peter
La Cieca hears that for coming seasons at the Met, Peter Gelb plans to mix a little religion in with the opera, or non-opera as the case may be.
Premium blind
Which erstwhile mezzo-soprano has had it with all those florid soprano roles she’s recently attempted?
Hog butcher
As La Cieca makes her way back from the Windy City, she invites you, the cher public, to discuss anything off-topic and of general interest.
Fairy-lit
It was dear Oscar Wilde, wasn’t it, who devised that early mot du jour “Good writers borrow; great writers steal”…
Sound of gnashing teeth noted
A phrase no one ever thought to see in print…