Qui la chat sua soave
La Cieca is away, but the regular Saturday chat goes on uninterrupted: this week with archival podcasts of I puritani from 1972 starring Luciano Pavarotti and birthday girl Beverly Sills.
Questo e Quello
Self-conquest
Probably no more than 100 gathered Tuesday in a curtained-off space in the lobby of NYC’s Gershwin Hotel to witness the North American premiere of Rodrigo by operamission.
Alles Gute zum Geburtstag, Richard Wagner!
That most profound and controversial of all operatic composers was born 200 years ago today.
Man in chair
The question on everyone’s lips at Carnegie Hall was, “Is Jimmy back in form?”
And the 2013 Pubies go to…
One startling upset catches the eye among the many winners (if that is the word) of the 2013 Parterre Box Awards.
Lady for a décolleté
La Cieca invites the cher public to open up and discuss any off-topic or general interests they might want to get off their chest.
Zurück vom “Ring!”
Peter Gelb says the Ring will definitely not return, as originally planned, in 2017, and where has La Cieca heard that before?
Encore! Encore!
For tomorrow afternoon’s chat at La Casa della Cieca, your doyenne offers an unusual double blast from the past.
Meeting Mrs. Haines socially
The Wiener Staatsoper should be a source of some interesting backstage gossip next September as the company presents on alternating nights Angela Gheorghiu as Tosca and Aleksandra Kurzak as Violetta.
Racing with the moon
For better or worse, Decca’s new Norma recording
will ultimately be embraced—or dismissed—by those reacting directly to Cecilia Bartoli’s controversial portrayal.
Heir presumptive?
>Andris Nelsons has been named the new music director of the Boston Symphony.
Before her all Rome trembled
Talking headspace
Our Own JJ (pictured) joins in the debate over the Düsseldorf Tannhäuser with Anne Midgette and John Berry.
And one for civic duty!
It’s time to vote on the The 2013 Pubie Awards, cher public.
Dead heat
Now the deadline has passed for the Immolation Quiz, La Cieca is happy if a bit puzzled to announce that the result is a tie: two of the cher public were able to identify 23 of the 25 voices in the quiz correctly.
The standoff in Düsseldorf
“Never attribute to malice that which can be adequately explained by stupidity.”
… and now the worse news
A couple of tweets from Thomas Hampson detailing some grisly-sounding future projects.
Yet here’s a chat
For your viewing and discussing pleasure tomorrow afternoon, cher public, La Cieca recommends a live webcast of Verdi’s Macbeth from the Bayerische Staatsoper.
Ancient German virtue of bravery gone missing
In a press release, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein at Düsseldorf has announced the cancellation of its controversial new production of Tannhäuser.
Final immolation update
The score in the Immolation Quiz now stands tied at 23 all, with both leading entries identifying wrongly the same two segments of the quiz.
Cover to cover
La Cieca (pictured) is thrilled to announce the debut of a new online book club hosted by Norman Lebrecht of “Slipped Disc” fame.
Miss Firecracker
Just like the pyrotechnics the heroine of The Firework Maker’s Daughter longs to create, this new opera for children is a delightful, low-tech throwback to a time before CGI took over the world.
Plank your lucky stars
The next scheduled appearance of the Met’s Ring production has been canceled, as irrevocably as these things can ever be.
Headless nuns in starless cast
The most sensuous sounds at the Met this week come from an opera with nary a love duet.
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).