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.
It seems the revolution has already begun at the Metropolitan Opera. This bit of disgruntled graffiti left over from Monday’s subscription exchange massacre reads, “Oh, really?? Thanks for nothing!! An Angry Subscriber!!”
By La Cieca
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The current issue of The Advocate includes an interview with adorable 27-year-old bedhead Nico Muhly about his next composition project, an opera “based on a true Internet romance/friendship between two teenage boys that ended in one of the two stabbing the other to death.” Muhly’s “teen gay Internet sex drama,” to a libretto by Craig Lucas,…
By La Cieca
RogerEvansOnline reports that George Steel, executive director of Columbia University’s Miller Theatre, will be the new general director of the Dallas Opera. La Cieca would like to take a moment to recognize the “man bites dog” novelty angle of this story: Steel is not British.
By La Cieca
La Cieca hears that Anna Netrebko has scheduled the birth of The Schrott Tot for September 1 in Salzburg via c-section.
By La Cieca
According to Variety, America’s Soprano Renée Fleming is poised to conquer new worlds of entertainment. Not content to rest on her laurels as diva, scent entrepreneur, dessert namesake and single working mother, Fleming has signed with talent agency Paradigm who promise to “scout out opportunities in thesping, endorsement, publishing and digital media” for the artist “with the…
By La Cieca
Today’s NYT includes an overview of the kvetchfest that was yesterday’s first day of subscription ticket exchanges at the Met. La Cieca thinks it’s just so quaint that every public event in New York eventually degenerates into threats of coup d’état (“I was thinking of figuring out a way to organize this group to take…
By La Cieca
Premiere Opera Podcast has returned after a hiatus of several months, and, as always, Ed Rosen keeps us up to date with the latest tenor activities. Recent episodes include excerpts from a duo recital (Juan Diego Flòrez and Rolando Villazòn) and a Lucia scene from Stephen Costello.
By La Cieca
La Cieca’s toughest Regie quiz so far baffled even the cleverest of the cher public. Admittedly it was not exactly a warhorse, but the title should be recognizable enough: Chabrier’s L’etoile. To atone for this perhaps overdone obfuscation, your doyenne offers a special treat this week. It’s a video trailer for an opera, stripped of…
By La Cieca
La Cieca puts on the trousers (which is more than she can say for some of the cher public) and highlights her versatility by playing a male role! But even your doyenne’s dulcet speaking voice is no match for Simon Keenlyside‘s robust (ahem!) performance of the operatic Dane. Hamlet Act 3
By La Cieca
La Cieca has just learned that Anna Netrebko, who is currently awaiting the September arrival of her first child, has withdrawn from her scheduled Met performances as Mimì on December 29, 2008 and January 3 matinee, 6, and 10, 2009. According to a press release from the met, the soprano “has decided that she will need a…
By La Cieca
Christa Ludwig is a one-woman melting pot! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://ca.youtube.com/v/c2Xty48hNaA” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
By La Cieca
The latest Newsweek includes a tech piece on a new bit of synergy that may well have opera queen/pirate applications. The idea is that one can attend an event, point and shoot with a video-enabled cellphone, and have the resulting video streamed instantaneously to a website.Â
By La Cieca
“The truth is, most operas are dirtier than Amy Winehouse’s beehive, riper than a full-on effing rant by Gordon Ramsay and more violent than a Tarantino bloodfest.” La Cieca gives Brit tabloid The Sun top marks for self-mockery in their promotion for Don Giovanni at the Royal Opera. The paper has reserved the entire September 8 performance of…
By La Cieca
La Cieca extends birthday greetings to one of her favorite redheads . . .Â
By La Cieca
You know, it’s funny. Just this morning La Cieca was thinking, “Is it just me, or can I actually feel the days growing shorter now that midsummer is past?” At first your doyenne attributed the feeling to encroaching middle age; after all, middle age is her scapegoat for everything wrong these days. But in fact,…
By La Cieca
La Cieca is not at her happiest dishing a librettist; I mean their dreary overshadowed inkstained lives are already punishment enough, right? But still, it gets under your doyenne’s skin more than a bit to hear Terry Teachout‘s blogging self-aggrandizement at the expense of one of the greats of English literature. Teachout is, as well…
By La Cieca
La Cieca has heard the sad news that maestro Nicola Rescigno died earlier today in Viterbo, Italy. The Dallas Opera website now has an obituary for the conductor and co-founder of the company. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/4fsOVCnE_WY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
By La Cieca
Tamerlano didn’t sound any too confident, but the answer to last week’s Regie quiz was indeed Das Liebesverbot, the early Wagner rarity recently revived at Glimmerglass in a staging by Nicholas Muni. (The photos are by Cory Weaver for Glimmerglass Opera.)Â The very male Ryan MacPherson is heard and seen as Luzio in a scene…
By La Cieca
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By La Cieca
Another serving of Hamlet, courtesy of Unnatural Acts of Opera. Hamlet (Thomas) Act 2
By La Cieca
This photo by Nancy Palmieri for The New York Times illustrates a review of Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger, a production that even Tony Tommasini thought was just too gay. Perhaps the cher public have ideas for an alternative caption for this photo?
By La Cieca
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/g5K5-dBnIlU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Nothing tantalizes the diehard opera collector like a new version of Wagner’s mighty tetralogy. So La Cieca is pleased to offer for your consideration “The Copenhagen Ring.”
By La Cieca
