Questo e Quello
Opera Orchestra of New York will jump-start its new incarnation in 2010-11 with a double bill of La Navarraise (Roberto Alagna, Elina Garanca) and Cavalleria rusticana (Alagna again, with Maria Guleghina and Mignon Dunn[!!!]), conducted by Music Director Designate Alberto Veronesi at Carnegie Hall on October 25. Eve Queler returns to the podium for L’Africaine…
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Gay Pride (the 40th official anniversary, anyway) coming up this weekend, La Cieca proposes this week’s YouTube contest theme: “Tout gai!”
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Intermezzo (not pictured) reacts to last night’s prima of Manon at the Royal Opera: Anna Netrebko “sang strongly, the voice fuller and darker than ever before, looking gorgeous” and Vittorio Grigolo‘s “technique and stamina were truly spectacular.” The pair “were, deservedly, a huge hit with the audience…. authentic and…
[Castrati] “were notorious for their sexual adventures [and] presumably able to overcome liabilities like an underdeveloped penis and variable erectile function.” So, really, all things considered, maybe castration wasn’t so bad after all. [Failure Magazine]
La Cieca congratulates winner Stevey (not pictured) for his masterful curatorial efforts in the “Now That’s How It’s Done” challenge, and the DVD of the Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center will soon wing its way Steveyward.
Juan Diego Flórez is without question a superstar of bel canto repertory, but the recent release of the recording of his role debut as Orphée in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at the Teatro Real in Madrid raises some interesting questions. Among these questions, first and foremost is the nature of Orpheus, and whether Flórez has…
Mlle. La Taupe continues to report from San Francisco’s Die Walküre: “I neglected to comment about the photos of the fallen heroes, posted upon the jungle gym-like structures on the Walkuerenstein. To be noted as they are photos of fallen soldiers in recent American wars. Pictures are shown by courtesy of and with permission from…
Congratulations to Bill, who submitted comment number 125,000!
In honor of all the gala things happening to Charles Busch this summer (including the 25th anniversary of his seminal play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and the Channel 13 telecast of the documentary The Lady in Question is Charles Busch), La Cieca is delighted to republish an interview the playwright/male actress granted to parterre box…
That trio of delicious candy-covered ladies tempted you to all sorts of wrong guesses, cher public, but nobody could figure out their relationship to each other, which would surely have given the game away. They’re cousins, you see, and the work in which they appear is Offenbach’s La Périchole as presented at the Komische Oper…
UPDATE: The results are in, and the topic for this afternoon’s chat session will be Maria Stuarda. Please look after the jump for details.
La Cieca is of the opinion that there are some sopranos who can act Manon, some who can sing Manon, and some who simply are Manon. This snippet from a recent interview may suggest which category Anna Netrebko fits into.
“Renée Fleming‘s thrilling new album ‘Dark Hope’ (Decca) debuts at #151 today on the Billboard Top 200 chart, with the highest first-week sales of the superstar soprano’s storied career…. The debut follows a performance by Fleming of Muse’s ‘Endlessly’ last week on Good Morning America, and major print and online coverage including two arts cover…
La Cieca proposes a new weekly competition: she provides the theme, you provide the examples. This week: “Now, that’s how it’s done!”
“Even if you’re not going to the concert, you can visit the website www.mariinsky.ru and decide Guleghina’s fate.” These words fraught with doleful moment invite you, the cher public, to play at gods with the repertoire of soprano Maria Guleghina (not pictured).
The Ginger Galli-Curci was born June 18, 1903.
Our Own JJ (not pictured) interviews the legendary Charles Busch and goes on to muse on drag (not in drag, on drag) at the new joint venture Thirteen/Capital.
Zack Woolfe, shirtless, and Seth Colter Walls take the High Line when deconstructing Dark Hope. [The Awl]
Further proof of the endemic menace of casting singers purely for appearance is this photograph of the dewy juvenile leads in Simon Boccanegra promoting tonight’s Channel 13 telecast of the opera.
The good news is that the Met reduced its operating deficit for 2008-2009 to $1.3 million, down from $12.2 million a year earlier. The bad news is the company’s assets fell by $72.6 million (down to $422.7 million) primarily because of investment losses. In other news, the Met paid James Levine a bit more than…
The Canadian contralto opera artist and recitalist has died. She was 79. [The Globe and Mail]
Idomeneo is one of those operas I always meant to get around to, but never did. Composed in 1780, it’s considered Mozart’s first “mature” opera. If you collect live recordings of significant debuts, this 1964 Glyndebourne Festival live recording might be of interest. So far as I can tell, this may be the first full…
Next time you feel like rolling your eyes at one of La Cieca’s informal for-entertainment-only polls, put then back in your head and gaze on this silliness.
The music video we have all been waiting for.
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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