La Cieca
James Jorden (who writes under the names "La Cieca" and "Our Own JJ") is the founder and editor of parterre box. During his 20 year career as an opera critic he has written for the New York Times, Opera, Gay City News, Opera Now, Musical America and the New York Post. He has also raised his voice in punditry on National Public Radio. From time to time he has directed opera, including three unsuccessful productions of Don Giovanni, a work he hopes to return to someday. Currently he alternates his doyenne duties with writing a weekly column on opera for the New York Observer.
On this day in 1964 the Jule Styne–Bob Merrill musical Funny Girl opened at the Winter Garden Theatre, to run 1,348 performances.
By La Cieca
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The second part of the Ring as documented at the Met in 2011.
By La Cieca
Mascagni’s bizarre japonaiserie opera features Sonya Yoncheva.
By La Cieca
Revisit our old friend The Machine from the Met’s early teens Ring cycle, beginning tonight with Das Rheingold.
By La Cieca
A midcentury Met-adjacent cast belts out Ponchielli.
By La Cieca
Born on this day in 1808 soprano Maria Malibran.
By La Cieca
Wagner’s music drama in the Met’s 2016 production.
By La Cieca
This afternoon, a 2019 Puccini performance featuring Sondra Radvanovsky, Piotr Beczala and Thomas Hampson.
By La Cieca
Another classic Met Live in HD performance, starring Renée Fleming, Ramón Vargas, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev.
By La Cieca
A 1983 concert performance at Carnegie Hall with June Anderson, Marilyn Horne and Samuel Ramey; Henry Lewis conducting.
By La Cieca
Born on this day in 1912 soprano Martha Mödl.
By La Cieca
Anna Netrebko and Piotr Beczala head the cast in this 2009 performance.
By La Cieca
A leap back in time to 2014 for a Met broadcast of La Cenerentola.
By La Cieca
Cherubini’s tragedy as performed at the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
By La Cieca
Tonight’s subject for discussion: Verdi’s La Traviata, starring Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez, with Yannick Nézet-Séguin (not pictured) on the podium.
By La Cieca
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Metropolitan Opera announced today that the company has canceled the remainder of the 2019–20 season, which was to have ended on May 9, 2020.
By La Cieca
This afternoon’s chat focuses on Bellini’s La Sonnambula with Anna Moffo (San Francisco 1960.)
By La Cieca
On this day in 1859 Charles Gounod’s Faust premiered in Paris.
By La Cieca
A 1960s All-Star team for Verdi’s Il Trovatore broadcast from the Teatro Colón with Leontyne Price, Fiorenza Cossotto, Carlo Bergonzi, Piero Cappuccilli and, of course, Ivo Vinco.
By La Cieca
Born on this day in 1844 composer Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov.
By La Cieca
Andreas Schager and Anja Kampe in a production from the Staatsoper Berlin.
By La Cieca
A sparkling performance of Rossini’s La Cenerentola from 1976 featuring the scintillating conducting of Claudio Abbado and Lucia Valentini-Terrani in the title role.
By La Cieca
Yet another opera company joins the free streaming trend: the Staatsoper Unter den Linden.
By La Cieca
