Questo e Quello
Sempiternal soprano Edita Gruberova celebrates her “45th stage anniversary” tomorrow, Monday February 18 with a performance of Alaide in Bellini’s La Straniera live from the Vienna Musikverein.
Like Miss Adelaide the well-known fiancée in Guys and Dolls, the New York City Opera may be down but she’s not flat as all that.
La Cieca invites the cher public (pictured) to discuss off-topic and general interest subjects.
A reminder, cher public, La Casa della Cieca opens early this evening (5:55 PM EST, to be precise).
Winter Met sensation Pretty Yende does another jump-in this weekend, again in Le Comte Ory, but this time at the Theater an der Wien.
The new Boris Godunov from the Bayerische Staatsoper (directed by Calixto Bieito and conducted by Kent Nagano) looks absolutely remarkable.
The French countertenor is 35 years old today.
A member of the cher public writes La Cieca suggesting that parterre readers attending the first night of the Met’s Parsifal might want to meet and/or greet.
Now it seems the NYCO’s Duchess of Argyll will have to make do with a mere 25 lovers in the company’s production of Powder Her Face—instead of the originally planned 88.
Which artist who’s no longer in denial about waning abilities is about to withdraw (or be withdrawn) from the next (and probably last) Met project?
Wagner is becoming an important calling card for Valery Gergiev and the Mariinsky Theatre.
Here’s your chance to discuss off-topic and general interest subjects and maybe make time for a waltz or two, cher public.
“Teddy Tahu Rhodes, who determined in rehearsals that the role was no longer suitable for his voice.”
The announcement of the 2013-2014 season at Lyric Opera of Chicago is not good news at all.
If it’s in the New York Times, it must be true, right?
Director Daniel Moshel (not pictured) who created the YouTube sensation MeTube, sat down recently—and virtually—to chat with La Cieca (also not pictured.)
C-Major continues their full frontal attack on the Verdi catalogue with this release of I Masnadieri which, I’m thrilled to report, does not hail from the Teatro di Regio in Parma like the previous aspirants. We’ve travelled south to Naples and the Teatro di San Carlo and we’re all the better for it as the…
Something contemporary for the cher public: starting at 2:00 PM on Wednesday, the new Philip Glass opera The Perfect American.
In this clip from an Italian quiz show of the 1950s, Toti dal Monte requires not even a whole phrase to identify the unique voice of Magda Olivero.
La Cieca invites the cher public to take a brief respite from the performance of La Alexander to enjoy this week’s discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
Here’s a story in which practically nobody in authority comes off well.
Somewhere around the early 80’s, stage directors realized that the odious theatre practice of “audience involvement” was over.
Giovanni Battista Pergolesi’s best known opera is La Serva Padrona, but the Neapolitan composer also composed several other works, which are now lovingly presented on video by the Fondazione Pergolesi Spontini at Jesi.
La Cieca is delighted to introduce to you, the cher public, our sponsors for the month of February.
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
Get our free newsletter
Opera's top reads delivered to your email weekly…ish.
Join over 100k readers.
The best opera magazine on the web.
Reviews, breaking news, critical essays, and brainrot commentary on opera from those demented enough to love it.
Essentials
Copyright © 2026 Parterre Box.
All rights reserved.
Registration or use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms & Conditions and our Privacy Policy.