Amuse-bouche
“It’s no spoiler to reveal that, at the end of Hansel and Gretel, the kids defeat the witch. In the Met’s production of Humperdinck’s fairy-tale opera, the singers of the title roles steal the show, as well.” [NY POST]
Questo e Quello
Elektra-funk
Get your Heckelphon on tonight, when the Met broadcasts this evening’s Elektra live, starting at 8pm on Sirius Radio. Sirius Score German Libretto Enjoy and discuss!
These three
A recent production of Il Trittico, recorded in Modena, was originally published on DVD by TDK two years ago. However, its new release on Blu-ray — along with the attention this Puccini masterpiece has received thanks to a handful of recent high-profile productions — has prompted me to take another look. Although this video was […]
Nothing to see here
Which famous family may be first in line to attend the Met’s Hansel and Gretel next week?
“Amor, ch’a nullo amato amar perdona”
My latest assignment from our doyenne has been to explore two of the many small opera companies pullulating around New York City. Some of these ensembles last l’espace d’un matin, while others have been enjoying a longer, healthier life.
Last soprano standing
“As for Elektra — one of the most strenuous of opera roles — the Met seemed to have settled for a singer who could survive the ordeal.” [NY Post]
Ashley/Auntie
In an unexpected bonus round of “This Diva Looks Like That Diva,” conspiracy theorists will surely puzzle over the eerily similar headshots of these two New York Post columnists.
Duelling Divinas
“A-list stars Anne Hathaway and Penélope Cruz are rumoured to be in talks about taking the lead role in a joint British and Italian venture that will focus on the singer’s tempestuous relationship with the Greek shipping magnate Aristotle Onassis.” [The Guardian]
Chi è quella regie bionda lassù?
As anotherjj was quick to deduce, the lady in the kitchenette was indeed Cio-Cio-San. La Cieca will note in passing that she searched through perhaps three dozen productions of Madama Butterfly until she could find one that didn’t immediately give the game away. No matter where one goes, the Japanese Tragedy is going to feature […]
Breaking! Alagnas still married!
According to an Angela Gheorghiu fansite (and what more reliable source could La Cieca ask?), the raven-tressed diva stated in an interview on Romanian television that she and current husband Roberto Alagna have no current plans to change their current matrimonial status.
Fortune’s fool
Have you heard the most recent update on the Franco Zeffirelli outburst earlier this week at the Rome Opera?
Canteen confidential
Which married divo and “adored” diva were seen playing grab-ass as they left the canteen, presumably to return to rehearsal, only to lose their way for at least 20 minutes, evoking a frantic call over the house wire imploring their return to level C?
Kill Aegisth, Vol. 2
“Rache serviert genießt man am besten kalt!”
Cabaret is a life
I was still warming frigid fingers Friday night, when before me unfolded something like a history of the world viewed from a small café: an enchanted journey from the gaslights of Berlin to the crowded alleys of Buenos Aires.
Melodramatic: the Gathering
Cher public, La Cieca welcomes you to the season’s first chat, coinciding with the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network’s Saturday matinee broadcast. This afternoon’s opera is of course Puccini’s Il trittico. Chatting begins at noon in preparation for a 12:30 pm curtain time.
Broadcast season’s greetings
Just a reminder that parterre.com is your place to chat the light fantastic tomorrow at 12 noon, when the Met kicks off its 2009-2010 Toll Brothers Broadcasts with Il Trittico! Intermission features will include interviews with Deborah Voigt, Stephanie Blythe, and Joseph Calleja!
House of Atreus: Fall Collection
Elektra occupies a special place in the Met’s rep, in a cheap way. It’s no easier to cast than any number of things that inspire well-rehearsed refrains of “put it away for fifty years,”* and really over the last quarter century many a somber compromise has been made in casting. What sets it apart is […]
Wo bleibt der Chat?
Here’s the place for all your chatting needs, cher public, during tonight’s broadcast of Elektra from the Met. The official chat begins at 7:45 pm for an 8:00 curtain.
The words “ao vivo” are thrown around a lot these days…
Long before there was Miranda, there was “La Perle Noire du Brésil,” Natalia De Andrade.
A loom of one’s own
We all know and love Fauré, but how many of us can say we’ve seen his opera Pénélope live and in person? As of last night, I number myself among the few.
Woolfe whistle
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Zachary Woolfe will take to the airwaves tomorrow morning to discuss, among other less titillating topics, the controversial omission of pastied boobage from the Met’s impending HD of Les Contes d’Hoffmann. You can hear Zack on WQXR’s Arts File at 8:30am, on 105.9FM or wqxr.org.
NY Times: “Greeks Condemn Opera of Elektra”
“I knew Hofmannsthal… he in fact begged me not to go and see it… telling me he was ashamed of it!”
Franco, ingenuo
The Zeffirelli saga continues. According to the Corriere della sera, yesterday “lo Zeffirelli furioso” held what could mildly be described as an “animated” press conference in Rome for the presentation of the new season.
Smooth criminal
“Michael Jackson was the true postmodern castrato,” says Cecilia Bartoli. [El País]
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).