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.
Soprano Amber Wagner will sing all the performances of Ariadne auf Naxos at Lyric Opera of Chicago in 2011-2012, replacing Deborah Voigt, who “is focusing increasingly on dramatic soprano roles and has made the decision to remove the role of Ariadne from her repertoire for the time being.” Performances run November 19-December 11.
There was a lot of circling around the title of the most recent Regie quiz, so La Cieca can’t name a clear winner. Several of you were correct, though, in hinting it was Prodaná nevesta, specifically Andreas Homoki‘s production for the Komische Oper Berlin. Something a bit frillier next.
The cher public (as always, pictured) are invited to talk about anything and everything in this, your general discussion thread for the week of July 17.
Those of you who are fascinated by new opera and those of you interested in the American labor movement will find common ground in the Rockland, a new opera by Jussi Tapola and Jukka Linkola. It’s based on an incident in Michigan’s history: in 1906, a group of striking Finnish-American copper miners were confronted by…
La Cieca has just heard that the great American baritone Cornell MacNeil died earlier today. He was 88.
It’s a scorcher out there, cher public, at least in New York, so perhaps some of you will want to stay inside where it’s cool, and enjoy a Saturday afternoon chat, where things are bound to heat up. A few suggestions for you listening pleasure, after the jump.
Which gay operatic power couple’s once blossoming romance has struck out after an alliance lasting over two decades?
George Steel talks about “leaving the travertine fastness of Lincoln Center and coming out to meet the people of New York: in Brooklyn, in Harlem, in Central Park, on the West Side, the East Side — wherever New Yorkers live and love their favorite opera company,” in, of all places, the Huffington Post.
The Paul Taylor Dance Foundation has announced that the Paul Taylor Dance Company 2011-12 New York Season will be at the David H. Koch Theater at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. The three-week season will begin on March 13 and end on April 1, 2012.
Although La Cieca (center) has never played Fort Sumter, she thinks she can recognize the sound of a shot being fired. A forwarded email, after the jump.
What better way to celebrate le 14 juilliet than with a provocative piece on opera by and about two of La Cieca’s favorite revolutionaries, Zachary Woolfe and Gerard Mortier (respectively), followed by cries of “Liberté, égalité [and especially] fraternité!” from that madcap maven of musical mirth, Maestro Wenarto (after the jump.)
UPDATE: Complete press release after the jump! You know La Cieca will be following NYCO’s press conference starting today at 1:00 pm. The Twittering community will carry live updates from the event, and you, the cher public, can follow the tweets after the jump.
On the eve of New York City Opera’s announcement of their 2011-12 season tomorrow at the Guggenheim Museum, La Cieca has been forwarded an email sent by AGMA to its members offering details of what Alan Gordon says are the company’s proposals for the beginning of contract negotiations. The text of the email after the…
La Cieca (left) is delighted to congratulate dear Alex Ross (right), whose little column The Rest is Noise has been named #1 among Classical Music blogs, according to blogrank. In other family news, Our Own JJ (not pictured) reviews Caramoor’s Guillaume Tell in today’s New York Post.
Here it is, cher public (pictured, right to left), your general conversation and off-topic thread for the week of July 10.
Michael Fabiano and Renée Fleming (pictured, left to right) make up the somewhat dysfunctional family whose drama is recounted in the San Francisco Opera premiere of Donizetti’s Lucrezia Borgia, to be heard September 23 – October 11. More highlights (and a lowlight or two) follow the jump.
A glance at Opera Orchestra of New York’s 2011-12 season listing reveals a conspicuous and troubling lacuna.
A reminder to the Regie-fanciers among the cher public: this afternoon at 19:45 (1:45 PM EDT), the Munich Festival will present a live webcast of Fidelio featuring Anja Kampe (Leonore) and Jonas Kaufmann (Florestan) with Adam Fischer conducting the Bayerische Staatsorchester. The production is directed by Calixto Bieito! UPDATE: The webcast player is now on…
Soprano, stage director and now, apparently, activist Catherine Malfitano has collected more than 120 signatures on a letter “denouncing New York City Opera’s planned move from Lincoln Center and calling into question the company’s stewardship.” Among those signing on: June Anderson, Jane Bunnell, Tito Capobianco, José Carreras, Frank Corsaro, Phyllis Curtin, Justino Díaz, Joyce DiDonato,…
Bass-barihunk Keith Miller has just canceled the remainder of his performances of his role debut as Escamillo in Carmen at the Glimmerglass Festival, citing “health reasons.” His first performance was last Saturday. No replacement casting has yet been announced for the remaining 14 performances through August 23.
“Subtract the magic and the flute from Mozart’s The Magic Flute, and you’d think there’d be nothing. But an adaptation of this opera at the Lincoln Center Festival on Wednesday conjured a quiet enchantment.” [New York Post]
The snafu over “homophobia row opera” Beached by Billy Elliot creator Lee Hall has been resolved thanks to a small lyric change.
Avid scoopster Dan Wakin just couldn’t wait until next Tuesday like the rest of us, and so he’s spilled enough details about NYCO’s “next” season to make it bleeding obvious 2011-12 will also be the last. A “new” “production” of La traviata by the undead Dr. Jonathan Miller and the U.S. premiere of the dreck Prima…
BREAKING! New York City Opera has just announced that they are going to announce their 2011-2012 season. The by-invitation-only press conference is set for Tuesday, July 12 at 1:00 PM at New York’s trendy Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum. Thanks to her eerie ability to see into the future, La Cieca already has film of this…
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
