Questo e Quello
Tonight’s Hoffmann at the Met is conducted by John Keenan, but it’s not a(nother) James Levine cancellation. Of the nine performances of the Offenbach opera this season, Maestro Jimmy was always scheduled to do only six; the other were “TBA” until the season began. With his cancellation of of the December 16 performance, of course,…
La Cieca reminds the cher public: you still have one week to come up with a top ten list about the decade from the beginning of 2000 to the end of 2009, with the winner taking home a $100 Amazon gift card.
“Three cast changes have been made for tonight’s performance of Les Contes d’Hoffmann due to illness. Rachele Gilmore will make her Met debut replacing Kathleen Kim in the role of Olympia. Laura Vlasek Nolan replaces Ekaterina Gubanova as Giulietta. Joel Sorensen sings the roles of the four servants – Andrès, Frantz, Cochenille, and Pitichinaccio –…
Call this Prima Donna: The Opera: The Documentary: The Trailer. Plus it includes a glimpse of tween Rufus playing Scarpia.
The poet of “le piccole cose” was born 151 years ago today.
Soprano Renée Fleming, target of a jibe or three on this site over the years, shows what finer stuff she’s made of on January 11 when she gives a recital for the benefit of Treatment Action Group in the intimate setting of a SoHo loft, recently dubbed “Carnegie Hall South” in the New York Times.
One week after my visit to Amore Opera, it was time to turn my attention to Bleecker Street Opera — another heir presumptive to the throne of the defunct Amato Opera.
Wow! That Daniel J. Wakin story appearing in tomorrow’s Times has everything but the bloodhounds snappin’ at Luc Bondy‘s rear end!
It’s always time for Stravinsky! [Ebay]
Several of you guessed correctly that our most recent Regie quiz was La fanciulla del West, in the “leather bar” production by Nikolaus Lehnhoff for De Nederlandse Opera. After the jump, a look at more of this production in action.
A source close to (though not necessarily at) the Metropolitan Opera tells La Cieca that the company’s production staff “late last week” pitched the idea of reviving the Franco Zeffirelli production of Tosca in the fall of 2010 in order to free up some backstage space for the “QEII-sized” sets for the new Rheingold. Peter’s…
So the question was raised (on opera-l, actually, but La Cieca doesn’t mind discussing it in more downmarket venues): in Luc Bondy‘s production of Tosca, Karita Mattila appears in the third act in an entirely new outfit, a sort of tailored trenchcoat of dark leather-like fabric, but whatever she’s wearing, isn’t is a mistake?
Here’s a rare glimpse of those bad old days at the (then) New York State Theater, before tens of millions of dollars were spent installing a sound enhancement system, ripping a sound enhancement system, and finally doing an acoustic overhaul. Note how distant and “small” the voices sounded back in 1976.
Here’s the place to stay warm and to discuss this afternoon’s broadcast of Les Contes d’Hoffmann, starting at 1:00 pm.
Last-minute holiday shopping needn’t be a bother if you’ll remember to drop by La Cieca’s Little Shop of Arias.
La Cieca (not pictured) expects to see you all online tomorrow (Saturday) beginning at 12:45 pm for a chat on the subject of the Met’s broadcast of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. And those of you who feel in a musico-satirico-politico-holiday mood Monday evening will surely want to drop by Cafe Iguana for the premiere of chanteuse/FOJJ Dorothy…
James Levine was too ill Wednesday night to conduct Les Contes d’Hoffmann, sending on John Keenan in his place. That same night PBS telecast a performance of Tosca taped earlier this fall which Joseph Colaneri had to take over for the injured Levine.
An appropriately ginormous discussion of Elektra and other operatic matters at that place where the cool kids hang out, The Awl.
La Cieca (pictured) asks you to join her for a journey to a parallel universe where many of the things you see and hear will be familiar to you, whilst other details will seem so bizarre as to seem the merest raving of a lunatic. (This last role, a bit but a juicy one, will by…
“Satisfy your sweet tooth with an hour full of can’t-miss Christmas cookie recipes! Bake brownies topped with festive green sprinkles with rapper Snoop Dogg… and prepare scrumptious spritz sugar cookies with soprano Renee Fleming.” [The Martha Stewart Show]
The Met’s controversial Tosca will be telecast tonight at 9:00 pm on Channel 13 here in NYC and in various other cities as well. (Check your local listings.) For those of you on the Channel 13 schedule, here’s the place to chat.
Today we learned about some interesting developments in the never-ending redesign of Lincoln Center. The new David Rubenstein Atrium, which opens tomorrow, will soon feature a discount ticket booth where day-of-show reduced price tickets can be had for up to 50% off the regular price!
La Cieca proposes an “experimental” chat tonight during the PBS/Channel 13 showing of Tosca as recorded at the Met earlier this year. The telecast begins at 9:00, and La Cieca would like to try out the coveritlive chat interface during the show. (So be here around 9:00 pm, ready to comment…)
In celebration of the 239th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven (thanks, Camille!) La Cieca invites the cher public to share their favorite versions of the “Abscheulicher!” from Fidelio — or, for that matter, other personal Beethoven faves. La Cieca’s pick after the jump.
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
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