Same old, same old
“Just as every downtown shopping street in every major American city now features the same familiar retailers’ names, New York City Opera has no particular artistic identity different from, say, Opera Carolina.”
Questo e Quello
My favorite blonde
Happy 40h birthday mezzo-soprano Elina Garanca.
September song
“Paul Appleby will sing the role of Don Ottavio in this season’s September and October performances of Mozart’s Don Giovanni, replacing Rolando Villazón, who has withdrawn due to illness.”
Somewhere that’s Greene
“International opera superstar Anna Netrebko comes to The Greene Space for an exclusive interview and performance.”
Turban legend
In the October 2016 issue of Cosmopolitan, lissome Laverne Cox pays tribute to some of her personal idols , including Tina Turner, Josephine Baker and, in a particularly breathtaking bit of visual transformation, the first African-American prima donna of the Metropolitan Opera.
There is for such a case no eligible absolute of the wrong
On this day in 1954 Britten’s Turn of the Screw premiered in Venice.
“The forest creatures taught me how to sing”
Born on this day in 1922 “The Peruvian Songbird,” Yma Sumac.
“If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look any further than my own back yard!”
La Cieca is delighted to note that the Royal Opera, Covent Garden has decided to follow the successful lead of so many American opera companies.
Devil’s advocate
Just 85 years ago, four of Italy’s greatest opera stars gathered at Teatro all Scala for an historic event: the first-ever recording of Arrigo Boito’s sole complete opera, Mefistofele.
Loft horizon
La Cieca has been informed LoftOpera is relocating its next production, Così fan tutte—opening on September 16, with performances until September 25—to 101 Varick Avenue, a massive warehouse space in East Williamsburg.
Alles Vergängliche ist nur ein Gleichnis
On this day in 1910 the premiere performance of Gustav Mahler‘s Symphony No. 8 in Munich featured a chorus of 852 singers and an orchestra of 171 players.
Lovely hour
On this day in 1850 “Swedish Nightingale” Jenny Lind gave her first United States concert.
One finger exercise
David Lang is, per The New Yorker, a “postminimalist enfant terrible.”
Cuts like a knife
You may wonder what Rachmaninoff’s Aleko and Leoncavallo’s Pagliacci have in common.
I’m nacred
On this day in 1868 Bizet’s Les Pêcheurs de perles premiered in Paris.
Bella come un tramonto
With the performance of Dessì we move onto a different plane than the other singers.
Happy birthdays are all alike
Born on this day in 1828 writer Lev Nikolayevich “Leo” Tolstoy.
Honky Tonk Angel
Born on this day in 1932 singer Patsy Cline.
Johan Botha 1965-2016
The dramatic tenor died this morning in Vienna.
He’s so Boulezian
Happy birthday critic and lecturer Mark Berry.
Sinner and Scott
Among the highlights were concert performances of Jules Massenet’s Thaïs and Otto Nicolai’s Il templario.
The white shoes
Happy Labor/Labour Day US and Canadian Paterrians!
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).