Everybody cut loose
You know, information wants to be free and all that.
la cieca ci guarda
A little off the top
Michael Capasso, General Director of the Dicapo Opera Theatre has announced that Dicapo will be going on hiatus for a period of six months.
Una donna misteriosa ognora
Soprano Kristin Lewis will sing the role of Maddalena in Opera Orchestra of New York’s presentation of Andrea Chenier on January 6.
Anna macchia è qui tuttora
It’s confirmed!
George sent me
La Cieca is sure it’s nothing, nothing at all, but she does think it’s curious that (per a tipster) George Steel has quietly called a staff meeting for NYCO tomorrow…
Scent of mystery
La Cieca has been sniffing around her generally reliable (and fragrant) sources, and she thinks she has pieced together a list of the dozen operas to be featured in the 2013-2014 season of “The Met: Live in HD.”
Endgame
Based on reliable reports about reshuffling of the Met’s repertoire for the 2013-14 season, the only reasonable conclusion is that James Levine will never return to conduct with the company.
Fit to print
La Cieca (pictured, right) invites you to peruse what’s making headlines today.
Bringing up baby
La Cieca hears that Diana Damrau has withdrawn from the Royal Opera’s production of Robert le Diable (due to open December 6) because of pregnancy.
Daniela abbandonata
Our own Ercole Farnese has alerted La Cieca to a breaking story in Il Secolo XIX: Dessì diserta Genova per amore.
More news from the future
Here La Cieca has scarcely returned home from a very pleasant concert performance of Pipe Dream (feeble show, attractive songs, fine cast) and what should she find in her inbox but an alert from the Playbill Club.
Saint Peter
La Cieca hears that for coming seasons at the Met, Peter Gelb plans to mix a little religion in with the opera, or non-opera as the case may be.
Lady in the dark
La Cieca (not pictured) would just like to point out…
Dessa!
La Cieca hears that soprano Latonia Moore will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this Saturday afternoon.
Son io!
La Cieca hears that Anna Netrebko will sing her first Norma at Covent Garden in 2016.
Square cut or pear shaped
At tonight’s Faust performance, two events of note: René Pape, upon his re-entrance after the Jewel Song, ad-libbed the spoken line “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” The performance, a broadcast, was the basso’s final one of this production.) After this moment of comedy, drama followed at the curtain calls.
A three hour tour
After today’s Met dress rehearsal of The Enchanted Island, La Cieca’s spy (pictured) reports: “You would think that if they had the entire Baroque canon to mine, they would’ve chosen music that wasn’t slow, dull, and long. In Peter Gelb‘s opening remarks, he called it ‘the Met’s Baroque Coming Out party,’ which makes me think this entire endeavor was […]
Broad Street Baby?
La Cieca hears that the New York City Opera is moving its administrative offices to 75 Broad Street, a location you surely remember as The International Telephone and Telegraph Building. The a 1928 structure boasts the mosaic dome glimpsed above, and (coincidentally) sits just across the street from the old Goldman Sachs building.
Devil’s playground
UPDATE: Blogger Out West Arts reflects on the “Occupy Wall Street” incident at the Met’s Faust last night, noting that the shouts (and various responses from members of the audience) did not interrupt the music.
NYCO/union talks break down
Local 802 and AGMA have rejected New York City Opera’s “final offer,” placing the company at an “impasse,” according to an email from George Steel to members of the company’s board.
Mirella Freni: money laundress?
Soprano Mirella Freni is under investigation by the Bologna District Attorney’s office of Bologna for money laundering and exportation of money abroad in connection with the BER bank. The artist from Modena, 76, will be heard by the magistrates in the next few days to clarify her position, now that the DA Antonella Scandellari has […]
No matter what, the show must go on
Even as sinister gossip hinted to the contrary, the Met successfully completed negotiations with the stagehands’ union last night, averting the possibility of a job action next week. According to a source close to the Met, Peter Gelb sent out an email confirming the contract sometime after 1:00 this morning:
Pâle et blind
La Cieca hears that the premiere of a new production may be marred. The reason? The company might have to perform the Paris version of this opera.
When we deaf awaken
Open your eyes, sleepyheads! In the news this morning, our own JJ raves about Satyagraha at the Met (“a masterpiece of musical and visual art”); the ever-articulate Nico Muhly takes aim at the Met’s production values (“Mercedes Bass or Anne Ziff paid for the opera. What do you think is going to happen?”); and NYCO’s […]
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).
