our own
“Legendary maestro Tullio Serafin once said that trying to perform Bellini’s Norma without a great soprano is as futile as attempting to cook risotto without rice. This month, the Metropolitan Opera experimented with such a recipe with less than palatable results.” Our Own JJ reviews Hasmik Papian‘s Druidess in Gay City News.
Our Own Gualtier Maldè reflects on Maria Guleghina’s first Met Norma. True confession: I love Maria Guleghina, I really, really love her. I know her flaws but her strengths are such that they sweep aside severe demerits that would consign any other artist to filth. Among contemporary singers she is one artist who thinks big,…
“Soprano Lauren Flanigan turned her vaunted acting skills to the task of portraying the sophisticated allure of Vanessa, hampered more than a little by a stiff auburn wig and dowdy costumes that left her looking like Nellie Oleson’s mother. Happily, on November 8, Flanigan was in superb voice, sailing fearlessly up to fiery high B’s…
“When the Met last offered Verdi’s Macbeth a quarter century ago, the New York Times slammed Sir Peter Hall‘s staging as ‘the worst new production to struggle onto the Metropolitan Opera’s stage in modern history’ and the opening night audience greeted the curtain calls with some of the loudest boos in the theater’s history. On…
Our Own Little Stevie reflects on the Met’s new Macbeth. I’d like to admit a guilty pleasure of mine: I’ve secretly been waiting with a lot of anticipation for Maria Guleghina to sing in Macbeth and Norma this year. I have not told this to many people because it seems that the common expectation has…
Our Own Gualtier Maldè reflects on last night’s Met Lucia:The Met has often been accused and rightly so of ignoring young talent and waiting too long to hire up-and-coming new stars while hanging on to declining old favorites well past their sell-by date. Occasionally a promising new talent from the Young Artists Program will blossom…
Of course, cher public, you heard it about it here a few weeks ago, but La Cieca has just read a press release from the Met announcing that, yes indeed, Roberto Alagna will reprise his Roméo opposite Anna Netrebko on December 12 and 15. (Our Own Gualtier Maldè, as you no doubt recall, confirmed the…
Our Own John Yohalem is the subject of a quizzical posting on dishy gawker.com today. Dear John (whom La Cieca likes to call “The Ragin’ Pagan”) wrote a letter to the New Yorker in response to a mention in an article on Asperger’s syndrome. It seems that author Tim Page recalled John’s erstwhile(?) habit of…
Our editor JJ‘s busy week included a review of the Met’s Aegyptische Helena in Gay City News, and that panel La Cieca has been yammering about all week. As his presentation on the topic “Opera and Technology,” JJ introduced this little documentary about your own La Cieca.
La Cieca has just been informed that soprano Mary Dunleavy will participate in tonight’s panel discussion “Opera and Technology” at The Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University. No word on whether La Dunleavy replaces or supplements the previously announced Lucy Shelton. Our own JJ will be there of course, along with…
Here are more details on the panel discussion “On Opera and Technology,” to be held at the Italian Academy for Advanced Studies in America at Columbia University, 1161 Amsterdam Avenue (between 116th and 118th Streets) on March 23. The exact location is the teatro of the Academy (2nd floor,) from 7.30-9.30pm, and the participants, besides…
Our own JJ reacts to his recent “maple syrup enema” in Gay City News.
“Super Drag Diva” Shequida (pictured here with unidentified gogomeat) will make all kinds of history on December 16 and 17 when she sings her first Komponist in performances of Ariadne auf Naxos at Merkin Concert Hall. This co-production by Ensemble du Monde, Opera Noire of New York and Pegasus Opera of London will also feature…
La Cieca is back in her beloved Sunnyside late this evening, even though the Metropolitan Opera opening night began at 6:30. By her watch, the performance of Madama Butterfly ran not quite four hours including intermissions and curtain call. Oddly, though, the evening didn’t seem unnaturally long — maybe because La Cieca enjoyed a disco…
Talking heads Anthony Tommasini and our own little JJ discussed “Opera for the Masses” yesterday afternoon on WNYC’s “Soundcheck.” The station’s website has made available the show for listening or download. (Scroll down to “Opera lives on YouTube” for JJ’s portion of the program.)
Our own editor JJ will be heard today on WNYC’s chat show Soundcheck, yammering away about the riches of video opera available on YouTube. It’s on 93.9 FM from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m. and is also available online. La Cieca’s own bewigged head has been busy too, introducing a 1967 Scotto Butterfly on Unnatural Acts…
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.
