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.
Like all true opera queens, the parterrians live in the time to come. Thus this month’s #1 most read post!
Performance from October 12, 2022.
Six contemporary operas, including four Metropolitan premieres, headline the company’s upcoming season, which was announced today at noon.
On this day in 1918 the Metropolitan Opera presented a new production of Bellini’s I puritani featuring soprano Maria Barrientos.
A live video stream of a new production of Strauss’s opera from the Vienna State Opera.
On this day in 1958 soprano Gloria Davy made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Aida.
A historic performance from 1970 featuring Leonard Bernstein conducting Grace Bumbry and Franco Corelli in Cavalleria Rusticana, and Fausto Cleva conducting Teresa Stratas and Richard Tucker in Pagliacci.
On this day in 1968 mezzo-soprano Fiorenza Cossotto made her Metropolitan Opera debut as Amneris.
Emmanuelle Haïm and Calixto Bieito collaborate on a new production of Handel’s opera seria from the Dutch National Opera.
The ineffable Miss Leontyne Price, anthologized as a subject for Chris’s Cache, swept the board in January 2023.
Recorded at the Vienna State Opera earlier this month: Anna Netrebko sings her first Aida and Jonas Kaufmann his first Radames at the Vienna State Opera, Elina Garanca makes her long-awaited debut as Amneris, Luca Salsi can be heard as Amonasro.
This new production of Verdi’s grand opera will star Piero Pretti, Marina Rebeka, Luca Micheletti and Simon Lim.
Ermonela Jaho takes her leave of the role of Violetta at the Met tonight.
A sunny opera for a gray winter afternoon.
A first listen to this season’s remarkably strong cast for Poulenc’s masterpiece.
Featuring Golda Schultz as the clever Adina and Javier Camarena as the hapless Nemorino.
So, give me three good reasons we should not hear Jamie Barton as the mother of Salomé?
On this day in 1955 contralto Marian Anderson made her historic Metropolitan Opera debut.
Soprano Ermonela Jaho brings her celebrated interpretation of La traviata to the Met at long last.
The fraught opening night of what surely must be this time around the final hurrah of the Mets old Aida production: That’s what people wanted to read about in December.
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.
