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.
La Cieca has removed the image of the Royal Opera’s Rigoletto production (you know, the one starring Juan Pablo di Pace and his amazing disappearing dick) from parterre.com in response to an email from the copyright owner of that photo, ArenaPAL.
Francesca Zambello, director of Disney’s The Little Mermaid, will be awarded the Chevalier Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Letters) by the French government for her contribution to French culture. The reception will be held on Monday, March 10th at The Cultural Services of the French Embassy.
Those early birds among you who were counting on getting a “preview” of this season’s Met Tristan tomorrow morning at the dress rehearsal will, as it turns out, will have to settle for only “und Isolde.” La Cieca has just been informed that Ben Heppner is sitting out the Generalprobe, with cover John Mac Master…
Even a veteran sob sister like La Cieca cannot cover the vast field of opera all by herself, though goodness knows she does her best. But one must give credit where credit is due. As such your doyenne wants to offer her thanks to a journal which is rapidly becoming her source for the best…
“I always cite the opera divas, like Leontyne Price. I mean, of course I’m an old fart, so I go back to these people who aren’t around anymore. But Leontyne Price and Marilyn Horne and Beverly Sills, I mean, they were glamour queens, and they were women who were not a size two …. It’s…
La Cieca hears that tonight’s performance of La traviata at the Met will be dedicated to the memory of Jerry Hadley. Sadly, operatic legends have been (to put it bluntly) dying in such droves lately that the dedications are falling farther and farther behind. For example, the New York Times has reported that the Met…
Dashing Donald Collup has expanded into yet another media niche with a series of podcasts featuring audio highlights from his acclaimed Astrid Varnay documentary DVD “Never Before.” Here la Varnay recalls her legendary colleague Zinka Milanov. More Astridiana (along with lots of other goodies from the Collup collection) may be found at the official “Never…
At long last, the solution to the Casta Diva II Quiz.
Back the photo-only style of Regiequiz, but this production does look awfully chic, doesn’t it? Now if only someone could guess which opera it is!
A member of Facebook (which, La Cieca is told, is some kind of Information Superhighway thing that the youngsters seem to enjoy) forwards this invitation to what your doyenne (channeling Andy Samberg channeling Diablo Cody) likes to call Die Bloggerdammerung:
The colleague who sent the following item to La Cieca called it “the best opera story of the year,” and your doyenne cannot but agree. It seems that back in 2001 a young actor named Juan Pablo di Pace did a nude scene in David McVicar‘s production of Rigoletto for the Royal Opera. A photograph…
La Cieca has just exited the season preview for the Met’s 08-09 season (no, she was not thrown out, she left of her own volition) and here’s what’s up.
Cher public, the Met is expected to unveil the specifics of their 2008-2009 season later today. While we’re waiting for all the luscious and/or gory details, La Cieca thought it might be fun to do a quick recap of the season as is is predicted on Brad Wilber‘s MetManiac site. Brad (who historically is spot-on…
With his usual impeccable taste, Ed Rosen has posted five selections of prime Giuseppe di Stefano on his Premiere Opera Podcast page. Investigative Operachic follows reactions in the Italian media. Opera News has republished a profile of the tenor from 2000 with some representative di Stefano anecdotes. And here di Stefano appears on Il Musichiere,…
(If you haven’t had your turn guessing at this week’s Regiequiz, go here.) Brava, Olivia (among others), who guessed the answer to this week’s video Regiequiz. Let’s take a look at the video with the original sound and subtitles restored:Â
Operachic reports, and further sources confirm, that tenor Giuseppe di Stefano died earlier today after an illness lasting several years. He was 87.
Our previous Regie quiz returned La Cieca to her position of mysterious superiority since even her very clever cher public weren’t able to figure out that the opera represented was… Das Land des Lächelns. The director was our old, old, old friend Peter Konwitschny. And now for your next challenge.
La Cieca offers a most heartfelt “bravi” to her colleagues over at Barihunks, the website devoted to ogling the most bodacious of bods among the lower male voice types. This week they have managed to snag a New York Times scribe to pen one of their panting puff pieces: His good looks, trim physique and…
Dear Beau has been working his fingers to the bone editing together yet of his confounding “Casta diva” compilations. For this “easier” quiz, he has selected Normas represented, and La Cieca thought that this time around the competition part of the quiz might be best carried out in the comments section. First comment with all…
La Cieca hears from several authoritative sources that Diana Damrau will sing the autumn revival of Lucia di Lammermoor at the Met, replacing the gravid Anna Netrebko.
Here’s a rousing opening number by the original company of The Sound of Music. At about 3:33 it’s hard to miss a very familiar face. Stay with the video even after glimpsing our surprise religieuse for an earful of Patrica Neway‘s “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” with more than enough vocal goods to compensate for the “Queen…
“Obama, tall and handsome and blessed with a weighty baritone…” Newsweek Salon, always on the lookout for a story with a hook, posits that “there is something in the very essence of Obama’s voice — its tone, its timbre, its resonance” that inspires trust.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
