A little off the top
Michael Capasso, General Director of the Dicapo Opera Theatre has announced that Dicapo will be going on hiatus for a period of six months.
Questo e Quello
Bicentenarian
La Cieca it would be both fun and appropriate to get an early start celebrating one of this year’s two major 200th birthdays, that of Richard Wagner, and what better way to kick up our heels than with a parterre competition?
Fire and Ice
“Don’t listen to a Romanian man who says he prefers a ‘natural’ woman,” says Gheorghiu.
The year in review
In the calendar year 2012, parterre.com garnered an estimated five million pageviews, with over 1,600,000 visits and more than 300,000 unique visitors.
Wigs and weaves
It’s easiest to write reviews when there are soaring triumphs and miserable failures.
Forever plaid
It’s the week of Maria Stuarda, cher public, sure to be near the foreground in our latest discussion of off-topic and general interest subjects.
She’s Tyred
Elizabeth Bishop will sing Didon today at the Met, replacing an ailing Susan Graham.
Schrödinger’s cat fancy
“So is opera as vibrant as ever, or is it hanging on by a thread? How to write the history of an art form that hovers, Schrödinger’s catlike, simultaneously alive and dead?”
An embarrassment of divas
As if last week’s survey wasn’t enough, a few more recent diva-recital disks remain worthy of attention particularly since they arrive from five front-rank singers.
Décolletage
Feel free to bare more than just your shoulders, cher public, as you discuss this week’s off-topic and general interest subjects.
The naked and the dead
The controversial production of La traviata from La Monnaie directed by Andrea Breth is now available for viewing online.
Quand viendra l’instant des suprêmes adieux
American tenor Bryan Hymel will make his Met debut, singing the role on December 26, December 29 matinee, January 1, and January 5 matinee (the date of the global HD transmission).
Happy birthday, Giacomo Puccini
“Il Leone di Lucca” (as La Cieca has never heard the composer called) was born December 22, 1858.
En proie à la maladie
Pretty Yende will make her Met debut as Countess Adèle in this season’s performances of Rossini’s Le Comte Ory.
Express your elf!
La Cieca (pictured) would like to remind those members of the cher public with last-minute gift shopping needs that purchases from the Little Shop of Arias completed today (Friday) can still reach the recipient by December 24.
The singing dead
“Somehow with opera, just as with theatre, it turns out that the monster’s head still hasn’t been cut off. Or else, like any monster worthy of the name, it keeps finding ways to rise from the grave.” Occasional friend of the box Joseph Cermatori offers an obituary of sorts for opera in New York in […]
Wait… what?
“La Scala has canceled the inaugural ballet of its season because of a strike by the chorus.”
Ribbed for your discomfort
The Trojan Horse seemed like a great idea—that is, until it led to disaster.
Gentlemen prefer blinds
Which heaven-sent young artist is about to make a late Christmas present of his talents to an opera house that now (uselessly, no doubt) regrets not casting him in the first place?
Blind date
While male half of a famous operatic couple has now become involved with a “chick” with whom he recently co-starred?
The wanton doyenne
La Cieca invites all of you to spend this intermission in a constructive way: not rioting for Italian independence, but discussing off-topic and general interest subjects, as people do.
No place like Rome
Love grand opera but wary of a six o’clock curtain with five hours of music behind it? (And nothing is grander than Berlioz’s Les Troyens, eh?) Your dilemma has been solved. Show up at the Met at 7:30 or 8:00, whenever they have the first intermission.
Today’s secret word is Regie
Perhaps La Cieca did not quite play fair with you on the most recent Regie quiz, cher public.
Water stories
You can see the logic of it: The Juilliard School wants to show off its opera program, the Ellen and James S. Marcus Institute for Vocal Arts, which is (on the evidence) brim-full of talent.
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).