Tee party
Our Own CruzSF has devised a delightful new pastime, which consists of posing in a parterre box t-shirt “in front of the great and not-so-great opera houses of the world.” First up: the Napa Valley Opera House. That’s after the jump.
Questo e Quello
Ecco il Leone
La Cieca just received an email from Samuel Ramey confirming, “Yes, the comment is from me. Had no idea it would cause such a discussion.” (Photo: Ken Howard, Metropolitan Opera)
Only a “Nose” I give you
“The Met’s new production of ‘The Nose’ should be a hit with everyone except headline writers. Had the Shostakovich comedy bombed, they’d quip ‘Met blows nose’ or ‘Don’t pick this opera!’ But since this sassy, smart show is the highlight of the current opera season, they’ll have to settle for something like ‘Breath of fresh […]
Ex cathedra
So, who do you think said this? It is unfortunate that for the Met’s first production of ATTILA they could not do a more “conventional” production. The sets and the costumes had nothing to do with the period of the opera or the characters. I know from having been at rehearsals that the director gave […]
A summer place
La Cieca hears that Glimmerglass Opera is about to announce the name of its next General Director. Shockingly, it’s neither an actual Brit nor someone currently associated with NYCO, ya know.
An option that should be dropped
Dimitra Theodossiou “takes” a high E-flat at the end of Odabella’s cabaletta.
My Hun and only
You know La Cieca wouldn’t miss the chance to host a chat on so rare an occasion as today’s Met broadcast of Attila. Of course, on the radio you won’t get a chance to experience the Miuccia Prada or Herzog & de Meuron contributions, but your doyenne is sure that fellow chatters (chatterers?) will be […]
Philip Langridge 1939-2010
The English tenor, specialist in the works of Benjamin Britten, died yesterday after a brief illness.
Eyewitness “Nose”?
La Cieca may not at the moment comment on last night’s premiere of The Nose at the Met since Our Own JJ is working on his review of the piece today. But she wants to encourage the cher public to share their thoughts.
Math is hard
Here’s our dear Karita Mattila (left), currently occupied playing Émilie du Châtelet in the eponymous new opera by Kaija Saariaho.
Now it is your turn to wait
In honor of National Procrastination Week La Cieca has a challenge for you, the cher public. If you’re anything like your doyenne (and she thinks at least some of you are in most important ways) you possess opera-related media that have been sitting on a shelf or wherever it is you stow your opera-related media […]
A vos jeux, cher public
This just in from the Met: Marlis Petersen will sing the role of Ophélie in the first six performances of the Met’s new production of Thomas’s Hamlet, replacing Natalie Dessay who is ill.
Happy endings
Let me take you back, Parterreians, to the spring of 2009. Shortly before the Met’s new La sonnambula opened, murmurings began to be heard, rumors began to circulate. After the open dress rehearsal, reports were filed as opera fans looked on in horror. At the première, a shell-shocked audience rained down boos on the production […]
A blind item catcheth a hare
La Cieca hopes all will be well. We must be patient; but I cannot choose but weep when I hear that soprano is going to cancel her appearances in that new Met production.
Tout gai!
New York City Opera’s latest mailing invites the gays to “Learn to French!”
What not to wear
The Met’s premiere production of Verdi’s Attila is terrible. Are you surprised? Attila is like a self-conscious stroll down Rodeo Drive – or even worse, to the Mall of America – reducing an opera about ruthless tyranny brought down by ruthless vengeance to a quaint and insipid fashion show.
A tenor for all seasons
La Cieca hears that Barry Banks will go onstage at the Met shortly — tonight, in fact — jumping in as Almaviva for an ailing Lawrence Brownlee.
Rome if you want to
Franco Vassallo (right) will sing the role of Ezio in the last three performances of Attila at the Met (March 19, 22, and 27).
There was skating on the Yangtze last night
In promoting the Great Performances at the Met telecast of Turandot, the copywriter for Channel 13 seems to miss the point by about as wide a mark as possible without actually hitting another point.
The boy friend
Parterre fave Joyce DiDonato headlines an all-star performance of Le nozze di Figaro broadcast this afternoon from Lyric Opera of Chicago. [WFMT]
Kukla, Fran and Regie
La Cieca is going to claim doyennical privilege here and say that the correct answers for last week’s Regie quiz are disqualified on grounds of a) silly guess and b) prior knowledge. Otherwise how could she go on with these Regie quizzes, knowing that such wildly unlikely images would immediately shout “Die Meistersinger” to you? […]
Winter meeting
This afternoon’s broadcast of La bohème (beginning at 1:00 pm) is sure to provoke lots of commentary from the parterriani. Conductor: Marco Armiliato; Mimì: Anna Netrebko; Musetta: Nicole Cabell; Rodolfo: Piotr Beczala; Marcello: Gerald Finley; Schaunard: Massimo Cavalletti; Colline: Oren Gradus; Benoit/Alcindoro: Paul Plishka.
Friday afternoon news dump, Rossini edition
No press release yet, but a couple of cher pubes have written to La Cieca noting that the name of Bruce Ford has disappeared from cast listings of the Met’s Armida, replaced by John Osborn.
Come Meoni al brando
This just in from the Met press office: “Giovanni Meoni will sing the role of Ezio in Verdi’s Attila on February 27, March 3, 6, 9, 12, 15, and 19, replacing Carlos Alvarez, who is ill.” (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera) UPDATED: Note the correction above, i.e., Meoni is currently announced only for the performances to […]
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).