The wayward bustle
It’s that time of the week (again?) when the parterriat discuss off-topic, general interest and impressionistic subjects.
Questo e Quello
What becomes two legends most?
On the final night of her farewell engagement at the Café Carlyle, cabaret legend Elaine Stritch took a few questions from the audience.
Geherheimnishehr hallt mir dein Wort
It’s not a sure thing, only a “maybe,” but it’s the most exciting Regie news La Cieca has heard all season.
Sun rises in east as dog bites man
A member of the cher public who braved this afternoon’s performance of Das Rheingold at the Met reports that the Machine jammed halfway through the transition between scenes two and three.
Book club
La Cieca hears that the opening night of La Scala’s 2013 season will feature a new production of La traviata starring Diana Damrau and Piotr Beczala, directed by… no, not Franco Zeffirelli, but Dmitri Tcherniakov.
Pyramid scheme
Giulio Cesare at the Met proved an evening that added up to much more than the sum of its uneven parts.
My heart at thy sweet quiz
La Cieca has heard the rumblings (from you, the cher public) that we have not had a singer identification quiz in all too long a while.
Just a little touch of tsar quality
The gripping Calixto Bieito/Kent Nagano production of Boris Godunov from the Bayerische Staatsoper—with authoritative Alexander Tsymbalyuk in the title role…
Enchanted April
You don’t have to be Quechua to enjoy some of the outstanding CDs and DVDs to be released this month, but it can’t hurt.
Il sacro fuoco
Here’s recent Met debutante Liudmyla Monastyrska in that ultimate “furibonda” role, Abigaille in Nabucco.
Prequel
This cozy video of Il Barbiere di Siviglia was recently re-released and will be of interest to those who are only familiar with Cecilia Bartoli‘s work after she became an international star.
Mad mentions
La Cieca would like to take this opportunity to salute our sponsors for the month of April: Carnegie Hall and the Brooklyn Academy of Music.
Gays and dolls
La Cieca invites you, the cher public (pictured) to discuss off-topic and general interest subjects.
Wouldn’t it be funny if that was Vivaldi?
“I’ve lived with mendacity!—Why can’t you live with it? Hell, you got to live with it, there’s nothing else to live with except mendacity, is there?”
With a little bit of Gluck
The best joke in Offenbach’s delicious Orphée aux Enfers is the opening premise: Orphée and Eurydice are miserably married, due to her utter boredom with his old-fashioned music.
Requiem for a dream
Last night, La Cieca finally got around to watching that documentary about the rocky road to the new Ring at the Met, and she has a thought or two about this whole brouhaha.
Mousecapades
Our Own JJ (not pictured) just came running into the parterre offices wild-eyed with excitement.
Énée day now
Tenor Bryan Hymel has been named the recipient of the eighth annual Beverly Sills Artist Award for young singers at the Metropolitan Opera.
Happy Birthday Magda Olivero
The fabled verista celebrates the 103rd anniversary of her birth today.
Faustian, but no bargain
“The spring season at the Met is as changeable as March weather in New York: crisp and brilliant for a day or two, and then suddenly as dismal as Thursday night’s Faust.”
Living loge
Time to walk around a bit and discuss this week’s off-topic and general interest subjects, cher public.
Our own JJ plans a comeback
Our Own JJ (not pictured) discussed “star quality” on WQXR’s Operavore program tomorrow afternoon at 12:30.
Risë Stevens, 1913-2013
The glamorous and beloved mezzo-soprano died yesterday. She was 99.
Scarred for life
“…the stage is crowded with grumbling members of the old guard who aren’t renewing subscriptions, disenchanted reviewers, vendors of vitriol on blogs like Parterre Box…”
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).