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.
Dawn Fatale (pictured) shares with us a horoscope:
Way back in 1998, a meticulous parterre contributor (pseudo) named Ortrud Maxwell (right), penned three exhaustive articles tracing cancellations and (especially) replacements in operatic recordings up to that date. La Cieca is delighted to republish this superb series in its entirety.
Linda Watson and John Treleaven have issued a joint not-apology, blaming “selective and biased representation of these interviews” for giving the impression that anything was less than stellar at the “fantastic history-making project” that is the LA Ring cycle. [Class Act via OperaChic]
With only 117 days remaining before the start of the Met’s 2010-2011 season, Olga Borodina has withdrawn from the revival of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. Stepping into the gondola will be Enkelejda Shkosa. Yes, that’s right, the lineup of Hoffmann ladies will be Elena Mosuc, Hibla Gerzmava, and Enkelejda Shkosa — at a $420 top.
The great Italian baritone died earlier today. He was 93. Taddei enjoyed a career spanning over half a century, making his Met debut at the age of 69 in 1985. [via ApCom]
After all these years of solitude, La Cieca has finally found another opera fan with a Maria Callas tattoo! More photos after the jump.
La Cieca will never, ever again (even if she ever had, which she didn’t so much) complain about the comments of the cher public. The comments are far and away crazier (and not in an entertaining way) elsewhere.
No one, not even the company’s near-septuagenarian General Director/Wälsung, has stumbled thus far in the West Coast cycle of Wagner’s tetralogy; in fact, the only ones complaining are the handful of LaRouche protesters outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. Of course, things are bound to heat up when mouthy heldentenor John Treleaven makes his first official…
The American mezzo-soprano and soprano is 79 years old today.
Maria Guleghina‘s Turandot on PBS right now, and, holy hell, I didn’t realize just how incredibly awful it sounded. How could anyone let such a thing be released — no, escape — on HD?
It truly is a red-letter day when La Cieca manages to propose a Regie quiz that fails to elicit from you clever pusses even a single correct guess. Last week’s opera was something of a double whammy, as it consisted of a modern piece produced in a non-traditional manner. Enough suspense: the work was Henze’s…
Some of you may remember a few weeks ago comments veered off into a discussion of relative sizes of 19th century theaters vs. modern opera houses and, specifically, the issue of a stage apron, a playing area that extended past the proscenium into the auditorium proper, therefore allowing singers to take advantage of warmer acoustics…
Carlos Álvarez has withdrawn from the Metropolitan Opera’s January 2011 performances of Rigoletto. Veteran Verdian Leo Nucci will take on the title role for these five performances, including the Saturday broadcast.
Which singer was not unwell when he withdrew “because of illness” from that production already rife with cancellations, but rather was fired because he had not yet mastered his music?
“I’m a contrarian! We contrarians question everything! The only thing we contrarians never question is the cheques we collect for writing our silly bloody contrarian codswallop! Oh, bugger those silly toffs in their poofy frocks! Cheque, please!” [The Guardian]
“…Tony Award winners Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch have been approached to succeed Catherine Zeta-Jones and Angela Lansbury, respectively, in the roles of the captivating actress Desirée Armfeldt and her worldly-wise mother Madame Armfeldt.” [Playbill]
“The end of the world was on the program Thursday night — but for the New York Philharmonic, performing the apocalyptic opera Le Grand Macabre was a promising new beginning.” [NYP]
La Cieca has just heard from one of her habitually infallible moles that the refitting of the Met’s stages for the Robert Lepage Ring began today.
“I would only ask if there is any director who stays every day in the place he works,” Mr. Domingo said, his voice rising. [Wall Street Journal]
One of parterre box’s oldest friends and earliest admirers, Der Schmuck der Madonna, emerges from his regal exile momentarily to plug what sounds like a memorable way to spend part of Memorial Day weekend:
… and the hope gets darker and darker as La Scoopenda performs Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah.”
“Featured Doer” Peter Gelb is one of 15 candidates for a video interview in the HuffPost Spotlight Series. Go to the Peter Gelb page at Huffington Post and leave a question (or three) for him. The five “doers” with the most questions asked will submit to a video interview!
Belle Miriam “Bubbles” Silverman was born in Brooklyn on May 25, 1929.
The delightful German soprano, who enjoyed a 40 year stage career, died yesterday in Switzerland. She was 83.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
