Questo e Quello
Born on this day in 1805 writer and librettist Hans Christian Andersen.
Welcome, cher public, to the real-time chat for this evening’s Met broadcast of Simon Boccanegra, starting at 7:25 PM.
Jonas Kaufmann and the mysterious “Jane G.” sparked the most reader interest on parterre box during the month of March.
La Cieca and the entire gang down at parterre.com salute our advertisers for the month of April.
Born on this day in 1883 American actor, director, and screenwriter Lon Chaney.
After five flops in a row, Mr. McVicar continues to win new assignments from the Met.
In January the New York Philharmonic announced the appointment of Jaap van Zweden as its next music director commencing the 2018-19 season.
On this day in 1901 Antonin Dvorak‘s opera Rusalka premiered in Prague.
Meet the charming and personable “Jane G.,” erstwhile patroness of the the Met.
On this day in 1970 the musical Applause opened on Broadway.
On this day in 1792 King Gustav III of Sweden died after being shot in the back at a midnight masquerade ball at Stockholm’s Royal Opera 13 days earlier.
Simon, Simon, Simon: how we do love you (and miss you)!
Happy 74th birthday bass Samuel Ramey.
An article on the Argentine news site La Nacion states that Jonas Kaufmann will withdraw from his singing engagements for this year and the next.
Javier Camarena offered a performance carefully calibrated to a more intimate venue that nonetheless offered emotionally potent results.
Born on this day in 1899 actress and author Gloria Swanson.
Welcome, cher public, to the real-time chat for this afternoon’s Met broadcast of Le nozze di Figaro, starting at 1:00 PM.
Los Angeles first saw Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly presented at the Mason Opera House downtown in 1908 by the English Grand Opera Company. Rumors that LA Opera Artistic Director Placido Domingo portrayed Cio-Cio San’s little boy in that production remain unsubstantiated.
Born on this day in 1904 American mythologist and author Joseph Campbell.
During its first-ever Roberto Devereux Thursday evening one felt transported back to the Volpe years: four of the Met’s biggest stars shining in an opulent (if occasionally perverse) but reassuringly non-challenging production paid for by Sybil B. Harrington.
What is an Orphic moment? A song so sweet that even Hades must release the dead back to the living?
La Cieca nominates Karita Mattila to sing Kundry (imagined here in a Stefan Herheim production of Parsifal, because, after all, one can dream!)
With recent events in politics, it is becoming ever clearer that humankind hasn’t evolved much since the Enlightenment.
Happy 72nd birthday soprano Gabriela Benackova.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
