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.
The last broadcast this season of the Bizet tuner starts at 7:30 PM for your listening and discussing pleasure.
“This lavish new production stars Opera legend and Tony Award nominee RENÉE FLEMING.”
Now that you know what the costume is supposed to represent, it’s time to offer suggestions (with images if you like) as to what her outfit actually looks like.
The ever-astonishing Cecilia Bartoli riffs on the Gershwins’ “Summertime.”
Twitter legend Karita Mattila, elegantly muumuu’d Thomas Hampson and Les Boys headline Rufus Wainwright‘s grandiose opera Hadrian.
Plácido Domingo opens his golden anniversary season at the Met with a performance of Gianni Schicchi.
Alexander Birch Elliott will sing Zurga in all remaining performances of Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de Perles, replacing Mariusz Kwiecien, who has withdrawn due to illness.
As such, your doyenne provides links to various departments at Amazon.com through which you may peruse possible gifts for your nearest and dearest (including, of course, yourself.)
A report from a parterrian audience member indicates that Mariusz Kwiecien canceled Les Pêcheurs de Perles after the first part yet again at the Met tonight.
The Ring continues from Covent Garden with Siegfried starring Stefan Vinke.
Anna Netrebko’s Instagram meets Metro.
[via Twitter]
Our friends at Opera Depot…
At 7:30 this PM, join the parterrians to hear and to discuss the Met’s broadcast of this gorgeous Bizet score.
Which superstar performer whose recent career has been as calm as a dove is about to send ticket sales crashing by making perhaps the most fateful cancellation of his life?
“Her showboating performance on October 29, while certainly not lacking in spectacular moments, came as a sad disappointment after her ‘gripping and insightful’ Norma last season.”
Boito returns to the Met for your listening and discussion tonight at 7:30.
For your listening and discussing pleasure this afternoon, La Cieca recommends you turn to Die Walküre live on the BBC from Covent Garden at 1:00 PM EDT.
Jonas Kaufmann‘s Herbstreise to Little Old New York dominated the busy pages of October’s parterre box, boosting our total number of pageviews to nearly 400,000.
La Cieca heaps praise yet once more upon our faithful and perceptive advertisers.
Bizet returns to the Met tonight at 7:30, and it’s broadcast live!
Yet another surprising new project for Karita Mattila: Leticia Van Allen in Myra Breckenridge.
The BBC’s program of live broadcasts of Wagner’s Ring starts this afternoon with Das Rheingold at 1:30 PM.
Sondra Radvanovsky takes up candle-toting duties tonight at 7:25 in a live broadcast of Tosca from the Met. Discuss!
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
