Questo e Quello
La Cieca apologized for a tardy arrival at today’s Intermission Feature, but hopes that the cher public will nevertheless enjoy discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
That’s the exact word I’d use to describe Olga Peretyatko’s debut in I Puritani last night at the Metropolitan Opera: “calm.”
In anticipation of the Met’s revival this evening of I puritani, I thought it might be nice to take a look back at a few archival videos. In terms of commercial videos, there isn’t much out there, so once again I look to those great old pirated videos for inspiration.
Lawrence Brownlee’s new album Virtuoso Rossini Arias demonstrate both how far the tenore di grazia has come in the operatic world.
Join La Cieca (not pictured) for an impromptu session of La Casa della Cieca this afternoon as Manon Lescaut is webcast from Baden Baden. The relay begins at 2:15 EDT.
The scene: a vocal audition, sometime in the past. A young, blond soprano approaches the podium. Her aria: “Un bel di.” She sings. Before she gets to the second “Chi sara” she’s rudely interrupted.
Coming as Peter Gelb did from the music industry, opera lovers hoped that he would display a more distinctive knack for casting and an improved talent pipeline than Joe Volpe offered during the waning years of his tenure.
With orchestral and choral forces that could outnumber a small European village, Arnold Schoenberg’s Gurre-Lieder is a composition designed to overwhelm.
At Camille‘s request, here’s some all-American Bellini from our dear Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin: a live performance of I puritani from New York City Opera featuring Beverly Sills.
In fact, as Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh used to say, “you are every kind.” Enjoy commenting on off-topic and general interest subjects, cher public.
The sea, the sky, the wind, the storms that are so frequently depicted in the music of Benjamin Britten are brilliantly illuminated in the new DVD of Peter Grimes on Aldeburgh Beach, a collaboration between Aldeburgh Music, film director Margaret Williams, and stage director Tim Albery.
Who is the most happy fella, he who perfectly fits societal definitions of fitness and attractiveness, or he who attains self-acceptance in spite of whatever personal idiosyncrasies he may confront?
After her marvelous Pat Nixon at the Théâtre du Châtelet two years ago, June Anderson returned there last Wednesday with pianist Jeff Cohen for a recital of French melodies and Broadway songs.
On the evidence of the trailer for the Baden Baden Festival, the upcoming new Met co-production of Manon Lescaut by Sir Richard Eyre (and who better to direct a German/American production of an Italian opera set in France and Louisiana than a Brit?) looks to be a fairly straightforward, if drab, update to circa 1940.
With the Met season soon to finish, I am sure many will want to unwind with a little after party/masked ball.
The spectacular young American tenor has just been named the winner of the 2014 Richard Tucker award.
Which clean-shaven young tenor must be feeling full of beans to hear he is the winner of this year’s Richard Tucker award?
From the legendary Mike Richter collection, here’s another segment of “El Anillo,” act two of Siegfried from the Teatro Colón.
Tonight’s broadcast of Madama Butterfly from the Met is sure to attract many of the cher public to La Casa della Cieca.
“In Kristine Opolais, who gave her first Met performance in the title role on Friday night, the company has a Butterfly with the soaring voice and penetrating theatrical presence to meet Minghella’s elegant dramaturgy head on.”
“Miss Garden has prepared no titles for her lectures, explaining, ‘I will speak as I feel’.”
On Wednesday, April 23rd at 8:15 PM, renowned soprano Deborah Voigt and opera and theater director Francesca Zambello, friends for over twenty-five years, join to discuss opera, inspiration, artistry and friendship.
For those of you who might be feeling just a little too cheerful this week, Our Own Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin offers three performances of Winterreise, sung by Mark Padmore, Simon Keenlyside and Gerald Finley.
Pytor Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s Eugene Onegin is his masterwork and its themes of social convention and unrequited longing surely struck a deep chord in a composer who, in late 19th century Russia, was gay and had to conduct himself carefully.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
