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.
“…Finding my voice w/out pitch, rhythm and the composer’s structure–a new challenge!” [@reneesmusings, Twitter feed for Renée Fleming]
“City Opera Management has passed on an offer from the unions representing its musicians and singers that could have saved the company some much-needed cash. The proposal would have required members of the New York City opera to perform for free in the 2011-2012 season.” [NY1]
More innovative casting from amazon.com.
Cher public, La Cieca must inform you that the president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Michael Kaiser (right), is afraid of you (left). “This is a scary trend,” says he. [via Huffington Post, of all places to climb on your soapbox about “serious arts criticism.”]
“Instead of Bess’s leaving their Charleston ghetto for New York by herself, with the crippled Porgy giving chase some time later, the Broadway version would include a newly invented scene in which Bess tries to persuade Porgy to start a new life with her up North. She leaves, followed by Porgy; one final stage picture…
The Handelian hilarity begins in just half an hour, cher public, so tune in to the Met’s Listen Live page and find your place in the parlor of La Casa della Cieca.
Randal Turner, pictured above, is but one of 33 barihunks featured in—who ever would have guessed?— “the first Barihunks calendar,” just in time for holiday giving and receiving. All proceeds from the calendar, available at the Barihunks site, will be donated to young artist programs. (Photo by Sarah Wells)
A “Machine” that’s been dished and hung out to dry, and a “Magasin” you hang dishes on to dry. Thanks to Zerbinetta for noticing the striking similaries (not to mention that fact that the object that actually does something costs less than half the one that does nothing; a lesson for us all?)
No shortage of interesting guesses, but, alas, none of the cher public were only MontyNostry was able to identify last week’s Regie quiz by the three images chosen. The opera, in fact, was Pikovaya Dama, and that lady taking a nap in her corset in the third photo is none other than the title character. Some…
Even the shooting stars of the heavens cannot compare to the dazzling spectacle of the cher public (pictured) shooting off their mouths.
Critic Ann Binlot draws some perhaps rather obvious parallels between Satyagraha and the Occupy Wall Street movement in a brief feature on ARTINFO.
Since our usual (and always welcome) catalog of webcast radio opera is temporarily interrupted this week (get well soon, Betsy!), La Cieca offers as an alternative a video presentation that will become available at 2:00 PM EST (20:00 CET): Enescu’s Oedipe, from La Monnaie/De Munt in Brussels.
Which diva, who is known for being always free to speak her mind, insists that the “illness” blamed for her absence from a recent performance was nothing more than a convenient fiction? She continues to harbor a suspicion that those in charge simply didn’t want her to perform.
NYCO’s George Steel has “…a vision of gradually increasing productions, arriving at 10, with 40 performances…. the company would reach the 10-production benchmark by 2025…. Only about 10 percent of revenue this season is predicted to come from the box office, with the rest mainly provided by donors. The ratio does not change much over the…
The month of operatic novelties continues as La Cieca indicates points of interest during the week beginning November 12.
Bloomberg’s Zinta Lundborg, best known for sharing a single eye and a single tooth with Manuela Hoelterhoff, overlooked the opera on Wednesday night and instead reviewed the PR for Dark Sisters. When a man writes like this, we call it “bitchy,” so when a woman does it, can’t we call her “dickish?”
“Five women singing together: That’s an opera fan’s idea of heaven. And though Nico Muhly’s Dark Sisters doesn’t quite reach celestial heights, Wednesday’s premiere offered the promise of an exciting new composer’s voice.” [New York Post] (Photo: Richard Termine)
Last night, Jeopardy‘s Alex Trebek invaded the Met’s costume shop.
Separated at the 14th Street wig store: drag queen Lady Bunny and Disney princess Diana Damrau.
Now, it seems, OONY is returning to its star-driven roots.
The very brunette leading ladies of Adriana Lecouvreur, Anita Rachvelishvili and Angela Gheorghiu, flank the practically strawberry blond by comparison Jonas Kaufmann during bows last night after Opera Orchestra of New York’s season opener.
La Cieca invites those members of the cher public (pictured) who will not be in attendance at Carnegie Hall tonight for Adriana Lecouvreur to hear and to discuss Satyagraha as it is webcast on Listen Live starting at 7:30 from the Met. You will also find much of interest in the company’s Satyagraha minisite, including…
La Cieca (not pictured) was just leaked the information that the next planned revival of the Met’s Ring production (after next season) will be in the spring of 2017, i.e., about five years from now. That’s handy, because five years is the approximate lead time of casting big projects like these; the current crop of…
In preparation for tonight’s Angela Gheorghiu/Jonas Kaufmann Sternstunde at Carnegie Hall, La Cieca invites the cher public to share your favorite memories and YouTube clips of Adriana Lecouvreur performances present and past. (Photo: Alastair Muir)
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
