At the age of thirty, Donizetti was already the experienced composer of about eighteen operas, both serious and farcical, but as Olivo e Pasquale (currently undergoing its American premiere run at Amore Opera) makes clear, the comic works were no slight matter.
Four of La Cieca’s favorite people, Diana Soviero, Ira Siff, Robert Lombardo and Ken Benson, assemble on November 9 at the impressively named “Metropolitan Opera Guild Learning Center”…
La Cieca predicts you won’t be seeing any puritans at the Met next season, except of course for the ones who slouch around during intermission hissing, “You call that a trill?”
La Cieca invites her cher public to discuss—in a dignified manner, if you please—the week’s off-topic and general interest subjects.
Unconcealed by the voluminous folds of this Jessyesqe muumuu is queen-sized talent Jeffery Roberson (also known as Varla Jean Merman.)
An odd week. Of the 26 operas available, just half are regular rep
Since 2010 I’ve been reading nothing but horror being heaped upon the Met’s new Ring. It’s been like a cross between a cruise ship size buffet spread of internet snarking and a slasher film re-cast with music critics.
La Cieca is looking for a few good part-time reviewers.
A name new to La Cieca, but surely soon to become familiar indeed, Phantom Violist, cracked the regie code last week.
La Cieca is sure it’s nothing, nothing at all, but she does think it’s curious that (per a tipster) George Steel has quietly called a staff meeting for NYCO tomorrow…
It took about 30 minutes for me to grow restless watching the world premiere video of Gyorgi Ligeti’s Le Grand Macabre from Gran Teatre del Liceu.
La Scoopenda tries on Vera Galupe-Borszkh‘s mantle of grandezza for an interview with the Philadelphia Inquirer.
La Cieca invites to flaunt your wit by supplying a caption for the above cartoon, the more New Yorker-esqe the better.
Friend of the box Opera Teen (pictured, right) reacts to Saturday night’s performance of Otello.
Several things got into my inbox this week, calling into question my dependability and accuracy.
Avgust Amonov will make his Met debut in the title role of tomorrow evening’s performance of Verdi’s Otello, replacing Johan Botha, who is ill.
James Levine, the Metropolitan Opera’s Music Director, will return to conducting on May 19, 2013 with the MET Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.
“I am thrilled that operatic superstar Denyce Graves will join the cast of The Mikado, singing the role of Katisha.”
So meandering and ragged a reading would be alarming at a first rehearsal; for a first night, it was a scandal.
From historical documents to the dernier cri of regie, October’s new DVD releases are a potpourri of objets d’art.
Handel’s 1711 opera Rinaldo was the first Italian opera ever written specifically for the London stage.
La Cieca has been sniffing around her generally reliable (and fragrant) sources, and she thinks she has pieced together a list of the dozen operas to be featured in the 2013-2014 season of “The Met: Live in HD.”
La Cieca (not pictured) tips her hat (pictured) to the participants in our second “Regie to the Rescue” competition.
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).
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