Questo e Quello
La Cieca hears that Emmanuelle Haïm has been protested by the orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris and will be removed as conductor of the company’s new production of Idomeneo opening on Wednesday. Replacing her will be Philippe Hui, whoever that is.
For her role as Maria Callas in the Kennedy Center’s Master Class, Tyne Daly sure cleans up nicely!
Cher public, did you think your doyenne would let today’s broadcast of Carmen go by undiscussed — especially since Teddy Tahu Rhodes is jumping in for the (presumably) ailing Mariusz Kwiecien?
Congratulations to Rysanekfreak (pictured), contributor of the best top ten list in La Cieca’s Oughty But Nice competition. The ‘Freak’s somewhat meta compilation was entitled The Top Ten Participants I Have Most Enjoyed Reading on Parterre Box During the Last Decade. Rysanekfreak will receive a $100 gift card from amazon.com.
The Sultan of Seattle himself, Wenarto, thought of it first. In fact, he created the legend that is Izzy Anderson. And now, that British TV show has taken his idea and just polished it up a little. Royalties, please!
“Unlike Ms. Garanca, Ponselle was among the many Carmens who have tried some real dancing.” Why is La Cieca not surprised that one of the few intelligent and detailed surveys of the dramatic element of the Met’s new Carmen should be written by a dance critic? [NYT]
“I should make it clear here that neither have I married anyone with a beard nor have I ever murdered anyone. However, it was at this juncture in the early Noughties that my life hit rock bottom.” [The Times]
Puccini’s shockeroo was first performed 110 years ago today, January 14, 1900, at the at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
“Why can’t a general director with the fame, charm and ability of Domingo roll up his sleeves and work to realize his vision, rather than distancing himself from the results? The answer: because he isn’t actually there, running the company. He’s conducting Stiffelio, or singing Simone Boccanegra, or trying to keep up with his other…
Okay, Justin Davidson, it’s on.
Set the DVR! Tonight on TCM at 8:00 PM: among the campiest of all operatic movie musicals, The Great Waltz, starring that most stratospheric of sopranos, Miliza Korjus!
Some composers write as if the dividing line between instruments that play notes and the voice, which usually sings a text and takes some of its attitude towards the music from that text, were not an all-important factor.
Washington National Opera in 2010-2011: dreary season, or dreariest season ever? [Washington Post]
Because he’s seeing and reviewing Stiffelio later this week, JJ is recusing himself from tonight’s broadcast. But those of you who feel like discussing, you’ve got here and La Casa della Cieca.
Katherine Jenkins, C-list Britpop has-beens… and Rolando Villazón in a ginormous jewfro. No, this does not bode well.
Welcome, cher public, to discussion for this afternoon’s Met broadcast of Der Rosenkavalier. The performance begins at 1:00 PM.
Member of the cher public Harold informs La Cieca, “The singing is good but the intermissions are too fucking long. The pause was longer than the last scene and the intermission longer than Act 2. I’ll be damned if I’m going to come back for 2 40-minute intermissions and a 10 minute scene change surrounded…
The American soprano was born 84 years ago today.
There’s lots of coverage in both Italian and English-language media today about how Franco Zeffirelli (sort of) called Daniela Dessì “fat.” La Cieca chose this one because it had the funniest pictures. [The Telegraph]
La Cieca listened to Sirius for a while tonight, but then her ears began to bleed. When the best singing comes from Margaret Juntwait… but I gotta tell ya, folks.
“Ray Dull of Fresno, who recalls in the 1940s hauling manure as a teenager on his family’s Ohio farm as he listened to the Met’s Saturday radio broadcasts, understands the appeal of being up close in the movie theater.” [The Fresno Bee]
At exactly 11:18 this morning, parterre.com posted comment number 100,000.
The maniacal laughter of incorrigible NYCO nemesis Manuela Hoelterhoff continues to echo through the halls of Castle Bloomberg this morning, as yet another of the executive editor’s gang of henchscribes gloats over yesterday’s announcement of a curtailed season at the company that dared to snub Francesca Zambello. Poor paltry fools!
“Though fine from a distance, the ladies’ costumes (also designed by Howell) had an air of Lisa Kudrow’s character on Friends circa 1994, which means they’ll probably be au courant in a few years.” [Time Out New York]
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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