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.
Calixo Bieito? Over! Peter Konwitschny? Yesterday’s news! And David McVicar? Head for the showers! The new home of cutting-edge Regie is in little Seattle, my god, and who could have devised so utterly innovative and openly homoerotic take on Salome? Our Own Wenarto, of course!
From the Vienna State Opera in January 1988, the first part of the Rossini opera you, cher public, chose: Il viaggio a Reims. Among the all-star cast in this episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera:
From Franco Corelli: Prince of Tenors: The battle between tenor and conductor reached a climax when Cillario denied Franco his ovation at the end of “E lucevan le stelle.” An infuriated Corelli flipped his overlong thumb to his teeth in disgust and ran offstage. The audience was left stunned, the orchestra still playing the ascending […]
The cher public have spoken, and their chosen Rossini oeuvre, to be featured on the next Unnatural Acts of Opera, is…
Electric Elaine Eliane Coelho chews the scenery, leaves blood on the stage, and if there are any pregnant women in the audience, probably turns their fetuses gay right on the spot, all in just one scene from the gloriously gory melodrama from Carlos Gomes, Maria Tudor. Since YouTube embedding is acting a little odd this morning, […]
Here’s a snapshot of the current Unnatural Acts of Opera poll:
The last couple of quizzes have been perhaps not quite challenging enough for you, cher public. The most recent one, for example, you guessed was Luisa Miller almost immediately. So La Cieca has decided to up the ante a bit.
Our Own Sanford reports from this afternoon’s National Council Grand Finals Concert at the Met. First things first: No hunkentenors, but Edward Parks is a barihunk, and Christopher Magiera is almost a barihunk. Now to the important stuff. There were nine singers in the final, and I would say that 10 of them deserved to […]
The furore in New Zealand over Dame Kiri te Kanawa‘s apparent criticism of Kiwi popera divette Hayley Westenra may now be on a downward slope after peaking earlier this weekend.
La Cieca has just learned more details about the Royal Opera’s Naked Executioner Guy and she’s sure that we all want to stay right on top of the story. Naked Executioner Guys’s real name is Duncan Meadows. He is a busker who, like so many in the busking biz, does the bulk of his bulking […]
La Cieca is sure that her cher public will not want to miss Sunday morning’s (4:30 AM) screening of the camp classic Yes, Giorgio. This 1982 crossover attempt by Luciano Pavarotti (from tenor to matinee idol) must have sounded like a good idea at the time, but, fortunately for music lovers, the film flopped mightily, […]
Just when La Cieca thought she would never get another chance to use the “popera” and “turbans” tags in the same post, she found this clip!
La Cieca is delighted to note that her old, old, old friend Charlie Handelman has picked up the podcasting microphone again after a hiatus earlier this winter. Recent episodes of The Handelmania Podcast include surveys of recordings of Ernani and Lohengrin recordings and tributes to Claudia Muzio, Caterina Mancini and Leopold Stokowski. And don’t miss […]
So La Cieca thinks it’s time to declare this officially: Kiri te Kanawa has become a mean old bat. The downbeat diva, most recently in the headlines for her controversial anti-panty policy, has gone and dished Hayley Westenra, who apparently is a New Zealand popera singer. (Well, to be perfectly fair, “apparently” isn’t so accurate […]
The solution to the “D’amor al dolce impero” quiz … Maria Callas Renata Scotto Katia Ricciarrelli Christina Deutekom Adelaide Negri Renee Fleming Jennifer Larmore Christine Weidinger Nelly Miricioiu Maja Tabatadze Cecilia Gasdia Montserrat Caballe
Faust (Gounod) Acts 4 and 5 Since our this podcast completes our series of Faust episodes, La Cieca needs to decide which work should be featured next on “Unnatural Acts of Opera.” Your doyenne has narrowed the selection down to five works of maestro Rossini, and now it’s up to you, cher public, to tell […]
When the weather outside is described as “wintry mix,” La Cieca’s thoughts stay inside, where it’s cozy and warm. Which doesn’t exactly explain why she’s posting this video of a pre-Il Divo David Miller in Rigoletto, but, then, does one really need a reason? [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/8HCeAMm8Vx4″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Deborah Voigt has officially “postponed” her role debut (“ihr Rollendebüt zu verschieben”) as Brünnhilde in Siegfried, originally scheduled for April of this year at the Vienna State Opera. Serving as Aufspringerin Einspringerin will be Nina Stemme. Frau Voigt returns to Vienna in November 2008 as Salome and joins the company on their Japangastspiel for Fidelio.
In a collaboration that La Cieca is delighted to describe as a “tête-à -tête-de-peau,” musical director Enrique Mazzola and director Calixto Bieito rehearse Der Fliegende Holländer for Stuttgart.
Your doyenne is always diffident about asking you for financial aid, cher public, but recently a few of you inquired how you can help out. It’s easy, actually: using PayPal, you can donate as much (or as little) as you choose (or do not choose) using any major credit card. (For more information on PayPal […]
La Cieca is the last one to contradict the libretto of Manon Lescaut, but she believes that the Louisiana is no desert — at least where exciting young singers are concerned. Here’s New Orleans native Bryan Hymel, whose singing is both Big and Easy!
It is La Cieca’s sad duty to publish the following example of “This Diva Looks Like That Diva.”
As a followup to Karita Mattila‘s banana-themed halftime show during Manon Lescaut, La Cieca salutes bass-baritone Paul Whelan. The Armani-clad singer credits a favorite potassium-rich fruit (sometimes called “nature’s amphetamine”) for his well-publicized “rescue” of the English National Opera’s recent Lucy of the Lammermoors (or whatever it is they call it in English). Of course, […]
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