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 is reported that the tenor died suddenly today of a heart attack in his home in Augusta, Sicily.
By La Cieca
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Met diva of the moment Anna Pirozzi sings the title role in this broadcast from the Gran Teatre del Liceu in Barcelona.
By La Cieca
“In none of this was he ever anything close to perfect. Great artists never are. Without their devils there would be no angels.”
By La Cieca
Join us, cher public and stranger alike, for tonight’s broadcast.
By La Cieca
Which soprano, who’s so talented you’d think her career would go on forever, has quietly decided to retire following her current not every eventful season?
By La Cieca
“The opera superstar Plácido Domingo resigned from his position as general director of Los Angeles Opera and withdrew from his upcoming performances there on Wednesday. ” [New York Times]
By La Cieca
High concept! Joyce DiDonato is Mrs. Roper!
By La Cieca
Surely no one can be surprised to learn that the departure of Plácido Domingo from the Met was the most-read story on parterre box for the month of September.
By La Cieca
That’s right, it’s September 30, 2019 and Venomous Fishwife Norman Lebrecht claims this is the first time in his entire life he has heard that some people might find Turandot offensive.
By La Cieca
The Grammy winning opera and concert singer is dead. She was 74.
By La Cieca
Bass-baritone Craig Colclough makes his Met debut tonight in the title role of Macbeth.
By La Cieca
This overabundance of detail serves only to set La Cieca wondering who protested Ms. Davis.
By La Cieca
La Cieca has discovered a document of Plácido Domingo‘s faute de mieux Metropolitan Opera farewell performance.
By La Cieca
Rising tenor TBA is now scheduled for the role of Alfredo in La traviata at the Met, replacing Vittorio Grigolo, who has been suspended for personnel reasons.
By La Cieca
“The Met and Mr. Domingo are in agreement that he needed to step down”
By La Cieca
On this day in 1982 Eva Marton made her Met role debut as La Gioconda opposite Plácido Domingo, Bruna Baglioni and Cornell MacNeil.
By La Cieca
Vittorio Grigolo has been suspended from the Royal Opera House’s touring production of Faust in Japan.
By La Cieca
The first livestream of the 2019-2020 Metropolitan Opera Season begins at 5:30 for the cher public’s delight!
By La Cieca
From the Opéra Royal de Wallonie-Liège. The stream goes live at 2:30 PM.
By La Cieca
“Here’s just one more catastrophic crisis — and it seems that at the Met, sufficiently powerful, popular men are beyond reproach.”
By La Cieca
Yusif Eyvazov will sing Calàf in the October 3, 6, 9, and 12 Met performances of Puccini’s Turandot.
By La Cieca
The Metropolitan Opera Guild has come such a long way since the days of dear Mrs. August Belmont!
By La Cieca
Born on this day in 1933 actress Dorothy Loudon.
By La Cieca
