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.
Starring Anna Netrebko, Dolora Zajick, Yonghoon Lee, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Sir David McVicar. From October 3, 2015.
A Baroque Valentine’s with Opera Lafayette | Feb | DC & NYC
Celebrate love in all its guises with tender ballads, amorous duets, cheeky verses, and bawdy drinking songs plus food, cocktails and wine.
Starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Kathleen Kim, Stephanie Blythe, Marcelo Álvarez and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi. Production by David Alden. From December 8, 2012.
Sonya Yoncheva sings Verdi, Puccini, Massenet and much more!
Starring Natalie Dessay, Matthew Polenzani, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Fabio Luisi. Production by Willy Decker. From April 14, 2012.
Starring Angela Meade, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky, and Ferruccio Furlanetto, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Pier Luigi Samaritani. From February 25, 2012.
On this day in 1973, the Prince-Sondheim musical A Little Night Music opened at the Shubert Theatre, to run 601 performances.
Starring Renée Fleming, Ramón Vargas, and Dmitri Hvorostovsky, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Production by Robert Carsen. From February 24, 2007.
The eventually reopened Metropolitan Opera promises a swift return to its status quo ante as a farm team for the English National Opera, sharing the London company’s new Ring cycle directed by vieillard terrible Richard Jones.
With Laura Aikin, Ludovit Ludha, Thomas Ebenstein, Margarita Gritskova, Markus Marquardt and Heinz Zednik.
Starring Galina Gorchakova, Elisabeth Söderström, Plácido Domingo, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Nikolai Putilin, conducted by Valery Gergiev. Production by Elijah Moshinsky. From April 15, 1999.
The Met kicks their off Dmitri Hvorostovsky Week with a performance also starring Sondra Radvanovsky, Dolora Zajick and Marcelo Álvarez, conducted by Marco Armiliato. Production by Sir David McVicar. From April 30, 2011.
The tiny but mighty Divas In Drag Italian Opera Company returns with a true Gaysamtkunstwerk.
From the Bayerische Staatsoper, an all-Beethoven program featuring Edwin Crossley-Mercer and Lise Davidsen.
Angela Gheorghiu is Magda de Civry at the San Francisco Opera, 2007.
With Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala, Erwin Schrott, Vera-Lotte Boecker. Musical Direction: Andrés Orozco-Estrada. Production: Calixto Bieito.
Born on this day in 1953 Broadway diva Christine Ebersole.
Starring Angela Gheorghiu, Waltraud Meier, Plácido Domingo, and Sergei Leiferkus, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From March 25, 1997.
Live from La Scala with Elena Stikhina, Wolfgang Koch, Gerhard Siegel and Linda Watson. Zubin Mehta Riccardo Chailly conducts.
On this day in 2020 a restudied production of West Side Story opened on Broadway.
Starring Carol Vaness, Karita Mattila, Dawn Upshaw, Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From April 5, 1990.
For your afternoon delight: the campy 1988 Franco Zeffirelli biopic starring C. Thomas Howell, Elizabeth Taylor and the decidedly un-campy singing of Aprile Millo.
Conductor: Marc Albrecht; Director: Christof Loy – With Sara Jakubiak, Josef Wagner, Brian Jagde, Okka von der Damerau, Derek Welton, Burkhard Ulrich, Gideon Poppe; Chorus and Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin.
At the Opéra Bastille, Verdi’s masterpiece is directed by Lotte de Beer and performed by Sondra Radvanovsky, Ksenia Dudnikova, Jonas Kaufmann and Ludovic Tézier. Conducted by Michele Mariotti.
Starring Tatiana Troyanos, Jean Kraft, Plácido Domingo, and Vern Shinall; Teresa Stratas, Plácido Domingo, Sherrill Milnes, and Allan Monk, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From April 5, 1978.
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
