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.
The legendary “Tokyo Traviata,” one of the most often pirated opera videos, has finally been released in an authorized version by VAI. Featuring the golden-age cast of Renata Scotto, Jose Carreras and Sesto Bruscantini, the DVD boasts beautifully restored video and broadcast-quality audio — by far the cleanest version of this telecast La Cieca has…
By La Cieca
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Pamela Rosenberg, late of San Francisco Opera and currently at the Berlin Philarmonic, moves on next to the Staatsoper Unter Den Linden, La Cieca hears. The Philharmonic gig ends in 2010, so expect Rosenberg to return to the opera house immediately after.
By La Cieca
After three years of failed legal motions by four legal teams, “felonthropist” Alberto Vilar will emerge from the close confinement of his heavily chandeliered 5,500 square foot apartment to face trial in September for defrauding investors of millions of dollars. [via ABC News]
By La Cieca
In what may be 2008’s most stellar example of unintentional irony, the organization Opera America has elected as its new chairman … a Brit. According to musicalamerica.com, Anthony Freud, newcomer General Director and CEO of the Houston Grand Opera, will succeed Opera Theater of St. Louis General Director Charles MacKay. Opera America President Marc Scorca deemed…
By La Cieca
Speaking of Broadway, David Merrick once said (if La Cieca recalls correctly) that even though Pearl Bailey played Hello, Dolly! for only one season, the legendary diva managed to squeeze in two seasons’ worth of cancellations. A roughly similar situation may be observed at Opera Orchestra of New York, a company that does only three performances…
By La Cieca
Congratulations to Rosina Daintymouth for her identification of last week’s Regie as Intermezzo (Richard Strauss). This week’s Regie quiz may not be much quite so challenging, so La Cieca is going to offer you only two production photos. Remember, guesses only — no cheating!Â
By La Cieca
As New York City cools down, Unnatural Acts of Opera heats up with the second and third acts of Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. Les Huguenots, Acts 2 and 3
By La Cieca
La Cieca hears that Marcello Giordani has withdrawn from his scheduled June and July performances as Cavaradossi at the Arena di Verona this summer. The June 21-July 19 performances will be shared between Marcelo Alvarez and Carlo Ventre. Giordani’s next stage performances will be his role debut as Alvaro in La forza del destino in…
By La Cieca
In general, La Cieca tries to avoid posting two YouTube videos in a row, but she’s making an exception this time around since internet it-boy Izzy Anderson has decided to tackle Mozart. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/gC5aoEhmw3Y” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The direction is, as always, by the Seattle Svengali, Wenarto.
By La Cieca
Well, no, actually. In fact, telegenic divas and divos date back at least half a century. Here are Clara Petrella and Giacinto Prandelli in a 1956 telecast of Manon Lescaut.
By La Cieca
“The chief judge of the federal appeals court in California, Alex Kozinski, has contributed to a Web site that featured sexually explicit materials …. [including] a photograph of naked women painted to look like cows. . .” [via NYT] Â
By La Cieca
La Cieca was reading a website the other day. It’s all about civilization or something, a nutty kind of a website. Do you know that the guy said that downloaded media is going to take the place of CDs and DVDs? Shoving her inner Jean Harlow back into her unconscious for a moment, La Cieca…
By La Cieca
… for (as the saying goes) “that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives.” Well, when La Cieca reflects upon where she’s going to spend the rest of her life, the first place she turns to is Bradley Wilber‘s MetManiac. So you can imagine your doyenne’s deep relief…
By La Cieca
In her never-ceasing quest to keep her cher public violently engaged in the operatic discussion process, La Cieca presents a couple of snippets from a recent opera performance at Covent Garden. The artist in question is heard in moments representing (your doyenne is informed) his worst and best singing of the evening.
By La Cieca
The Mary Garden of YouTube is back, and better than ever: [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/PN3e6_nuORI” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Â
By La Cieca
La Cieca thanks a particularly loyal member of the cher public for pointing out the most recent bit of hard-hitting arts coverage in the Wall Street Journal, as copied and pasted by that hardest of all arts hitters, Terry Teachout. La Cieca says “copied and pasted” because in this piece Teachout manages to blather on…
By La Cieca
New York City Opera has commissioned American composer Charles Wuorinen to write an opera based on “Brokeback Mountain,” a love story about two U.S. ranch-hands that won three Oscars when it was turned into a movie. The opera house’s spokesman Gerard Mortier said in a statement on Sunday that Wuorinen had accepted an invitation to…
By La Cieca
Our most recent Regie puzzler was telecast tonight, but La Cieca thinks her cher public will need no more than a sound clip and a review from the production to make the identity of the work plain: Friedrichstadtpalast meets Christopher Street Day: Alles, was hier nicht glitzert, ist nackte Haut. Otto Pichler hat supersexy Choreografien für die durchtrainierten Körper…
By La Cieca
New York-centric as she is, La Cieca cannot help but sulk when she hears that the Met is in line for Nicholas Hynter‘s “rather limited” staging of Don Carlo that opened last night at the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden.Â
By La Cieca
Since French Grand Opera won the poll, La Cieca will show a little extra love for dear old Richard Strauss in the coming weeks. How better to start the alternative festivities than with a clip from Die Frau ohne Schatten featuring the legendary teaming of Inge Borkh, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Martha Mödl and Ingrid Bjoner? [kml_flashembed…
By La Cieca
The polls are closed and the results are in: the winner of this year’s Unnatural Acts of Opera Summer Festival is French Grand Opera. To kick off the festival we have that most grand of all grand operas, Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots. Les Huguenots, Act One Raoul de Nangis – Marcello Giordani Valentine – Annalisa Raspaglosi…
By La Cieca
It took 60 guesses and a hint or two, but one of the cher public did indeed guess the opera depicted in the previous Regiequiz. Congratulations to mafketis, who somehow managed to see Il trovatore lurking behind the Hercule Poirot drag. The production of the Verdi warhorse was directed by Philipp Kochheim for the Staatstheater…
By La Cieca
A featurette that just mysteriously appeared in La Cieca’s inbox. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/kQqPauyGiVU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
By La Cieca
