History of gay culture to peak in July
It’s true, it’s true! Bernadette Peters and Elaine Stritch are going into A Little Night Music! The iconic pair will open in the show on Broadway on July 13. Note: autoplaying video and after the jump!
Video
Not with bangs, but a whimper
This cheerful mug is an image from the trailer for La Scoopenda‘s laff-riot CD I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell or whatever it’s called. Video (which incidentally serves as an elegant proof of Dr. Repertoire’s Seventh Rule for Stage Directors) after the jump.
The secret policeman’s other ball
A snippet of last week’s performance of Le Grand Macabre, after the jump. There’s more video plus details on next week’s broadcast of the Ligeti at nyphil.org.
Happy Birthday Shirley Verrett
The American mezzo-soprano and soprano is 79 years old today.
Downstage
Some of you may remember a few weeks ago comments veered off into a discussion of relative sizes of 19th century theaters vs. modern opera houses and, specifically, the issue of a stage apron, a playing area that extended past the proscenium into the auditorium proper, therefore allowing singers to take advantage of warmer acoustics […]
The hits just keep on coming
… and the hope gets darker and darker as La Scoopenda performs Leonard Cohen‘s “Hallelujah.”
Happy Birthday, Richard Wagner
The Wizard of Bayrueth was born in Leipzig on May 22, 1813. La Cieca invites the cher public to celebrate Wagner’s mastery of the music drama with selections from his Werk.
Gettin’ Ligeti Wit It
When invited to participate in a discourse on artistic standards (hello, internet!), it’s easy — pleasurable, even — for an aesthete to bray about “the fall.” Where are the true heldentenors? Your kingdom for a Callas! (Or a Stratas, or a Rysanek!) And might the public, at long last, deserve a stable of directors who […]
Mara Zampieri: the Cabaret Years!
Or is La Cieca mistaken: could this rather be Alfred Deller‘s “after hours” show?
It will not be tonight
Even though La Cieca is sure you will agree with her that “Meglio stasera, che domani o mai. Domani chi lo sa, quel che sarà,” the fact is the server people are still working on parterre.com with a “go” time set for sometime early tomorrow. Be assured that your doyenne will inform you here at […]
Will the dancing Marguerites please wait in the wings?
P.S. The old site will be back tomorrow, promise!
Unitasking
If you’re wondering why the relatively inexperienced George Steel was tapped for the demanding job of hauling the New York City Opera out of the basement — instead of front-runner Francesca Zambello, well, maybe this is why: Zambello, currently in London creating a joint Royal Opera and Royal Ballet production of Tchaikovsky’s comic rarity “The […]
Shoot Your Shot
Maestro Wenarto shows us how Tosca should be done… as directed by that exciting Regie wunderkind Luc Bondage.
Knight und Träume
Jonas Kaufmann in his role debut(!) as Lohengrin. This is a great, great artist.
Joyce DiDonato in Maria Stuarda
La DiDonato is joined here by Gabriele Fontana and Eric Cutler in this 2005 video.
Singing, actress
For those of you who were stumped by Lady Number Six, here’s the mysterious dame herself, Galina Vishnevskaya, in a more accustomed version of Lady Macbeth, the 1966 film by Mikhail Shapiro of Katerina Izmailova. The great diva returned to the screen only last year in Alexandra (directed by Alexander Sokurov), playing an elderly woman […]
When Ladies Meet
And now, the solution to the “Sleepwalking Scene” quiz.
Ferocious!
The unusual and undreamed-of videos just keep popping up on YouTube. Here’s a scene from Norma with Elinor Ross and Mario del Monaco!
A Star is Reborn
That superstar of the podosphere, Miss Frances Gumm, is back after six months of laying fallow. Or is La Cieca thinking of Frank Sinatra? Anyway, one of our absolute favorite online destinations, JudyCast, has returned with its distinctive mélange of entertainment gossip and otherworldy warbling as gaily subversive as ever. (No explanation is given for […]
Gaîté Ancienne
La fée Manto (Francois Piolino) turns up the heat on old coot Anselme (René Schirrer) in this scene from Rameau’s Les Paladins.
Mad about the boy
La Cieca is all for crossover, but… In response to several questions from commenters, La Cieca will say, no, she does not believe that Vitas takes “the” high e-flat. However, there is another genetic male on YouTube who does have the note: Lallanzinho!
Toy toy toy
The Lego Opera, previously heard performing Il trovatore, has returned with a new and innovative production of Tosca. Lego bricks outnumber human beings 62 to 1. Did you know that?
Hunk 10, Tenor 3
A gifted amateur by the name of Izzy Anderson takes on Verdi’s Duke of Mantua. Mr. Anderson is one of the regulars on the must-see Wenarto YouTube site. (That’s the celebrated Wenarto himself conducting this selection, though usually he is found center stage.)
Spanish inquisition
Given the current lively discussion of Peter Konwitschny‘s regie of Don Carlos, La Cieca thought the cher public might like to see (and to debate) the “Celestial Voice” scene from this production. UPDATE: Since the discussion has now broadened to involve the context of this scene, La Cieca has substituted a player with a selection […]
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
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).
