Questo e Quello
“But enough about Lou Tellegen,” Miss Farrar snapped.
On this day in 1665 Ye Bare & Ye Cubb became the first play performed in North America (at Acomac, VA.)
On this day in 1498 Michelangelo was commissioned to carve the Pietà.
“What perhaps allowed me to hear past the surface of Cold Mountain was access to a piano-reduction score while the piece was still being written—a copy I discovered in a Dumpster near Higdon’s Philadelphia apartment, discarded only because it was misformatted.”
“To mark the book’s publication, and to manifest the spirit of linguistic improvisation, Koestenbaum will perform piano miniatures (Scriabin, Chopin, Fauré, Milhaud, Poulenc) while incanting spontaneous Sprechstimme-style soliloquies.”
On this day in 1718 French colonists in Louisiana established a settlement named for the Duc d’Orléans, which would later become the city of New Orleans.
La Cieca is positively brimming with excitement to bring you an exclusive interview with @FakeNLebrecht, connoisseur of sick notes, writer of fiction and obituaries.
One of opera’s great “what ifs?” is what would young Erich Wolfgang Korngold have contributed to the repertoire had the likes of The Adventures of Robin Hood not beckoned him to Hollywood?
On this day in 1853 the first potato chips were prepared by chef George Crum in Saratoga Springs, NY.
It’s fun to wonder what might have happened if Rossini had never composed Il Barbiere di Siviglia. Would Giovanni Paisiello’s earlier adaptation of the work be a repertory favorite? Or would it have faded into obscurity with an occasional revival here and there?
On this day in 1834 Mount Vesuvius erupted.
On this day in 1945 Noel Coward‘s revue Sigh No More premiered in London.
“She sounds the note of deep pathos in both action and song convincingly, and last night won the tribute of tears from many eyes.”
Happy 81st birthday mezzo-soprano Dame Janet Baker.
“Wolfram von Eschenbach is played by the up and coming German baritone Daniel Schmutzhard.”
Jamie Barton will add a new role to her Met repertory this season when she sings Giovanna Seymour in Donizetti’s Anna Bolena.
On this day in 1828 Gioacchino Rossini‘s opera Le Comte Ory premiered in Paris.
On this day in 1772 Gustav III seized effective control of the Swedish government and restored the full power of the monarchy, which had been subordinate to parliament since 1720.
Born on this day in 1873 lyricist Otto Harbach.
In attempting to get a little bit of everything onto my Mixcloud page, I realized that I inadvertently neglected some essentials: 1) Leyla Gencer 2) La Gioconda.
On this day in 1939 The Wizard of Oz opened at Loew’s Capitol Theater in New York City.
On this day in 1876 the music drama Siegfried premiered in Bayreuth.
On this day in 1040 King Duncan I of Scotland was killed in battle against his first cousin and rival Macbeth (not, as per Shakespeare’s play, murdered in his sleep.)
The reviews for Geraldine Farrar‘s Metropolitan Opera debut (Opening Night of the 1906-1907 season) could almost have been written by her own mother.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
