June 1, 2000: La Cieca hears that Eve Queler has contacted Carlo Bergonzi via friends in the New York area about recording Otello with her this summer in Europe, most likely in Budapest. The deal needs backers, we hear, but otherwise seems to be green-lighted.

Last week, as everyone knows, Bergonzi began but could not finish his only Otello ever. Reports from the dress rehearsal of the OONY concert were very encouraging, but after a strong "Esultate" and a love duet filled with poetic turns of phrase, the 75 year old tenor's voice began to fade and turn scratchy early in Act Two. He struggled to the end of the duet with Iago (Alberto Gazale, who considerately helped out his colleague by taking the high A with him), then had an announcement made of his indisposition.

I think a number of people (myself included) had high but fairly realistic expectations about this event. We would hear a great artist in well-preserved old age, with some cracked high notes, some flatting, and some phrases cut short -- but in exchange there would be some really stylish moments on a level with the "Niun mi tema" Bergonzi sang in recital last year. No one expected a textbook performance of Otello (or the power of a del Monaco), but many of us did expect to hear some beautiful singing in parts of the performance. That didn't happen, alas. But I still think it could have.

I do not think Bergzoni was ill-advised or "enabled" (as the Tommasini in the Times smugly suggests) to attempt the role. And I think that if the tenor had known how poorly it would go on the night (i.e., had he the sense of second sight some seem to think he should), he would have canceled on some pretext fairly early on. He doesn't need the money, and he could easily have promised a recital or an orchestra date as a "makeup" some other time. That would have afforded Queler the change to try to get some other "name" tenor to jump into the role. Mr. Bergonzi does not have a track record of making foolish decisions or insisting on performing against reasonable advice. He attempted one performance that failed, due to a combination of factors, some of which he could well have been unaware of until the last minute. (He was coughing and he did look pale.)

So, let's hear no "I told you so" from anyone: a great career is built on taking risks. This one time, Bergonzi failed; little enough tradeoff for all the many times he dared and succeeded.

On the social side, those Three Tenors were there, all in the same box and chatting most amiably during the interval; all but Domingo left after the announcement of Bergonzi's cancellation. (They missed a solid and very agreeable Desdemona from Kallen Esperian, in very free and warm voice. But, then, they also missed her godawful aqua tulle concert dress, so I guess these things even out.)

Aprile Millo, considerably slimmed down and chic in a little black dress, was there too, and so were Marilyn Horne, Sherrill Milnes, Franco Corelli, Anna Moffo, Licia Albanese, James Levine and -- well, everybody, really. It was one of those nights.

Dawn Fatale reports from Vienna: "Die Frau is the best single performance of any opera that we've seen. We liked the Carsen production which is the most radical reconception of an opera I've experienced. My opinion is that it will be like the Chereau Ring - heavily booed at its premiere and eventually recognized for its insights and theatricality -even if not all of it works. The ending doesn't make sense, but there were a couple of moments (the first appearance of the Dyer's wife, that infamous Act II dream sequence) that have one gasping.

"Lipovsek was replaced by the America mezzo Jane Henschel - who is a real find. She actually sang the role of the Nurse without shrieking and Gabriele Schnaut sang in tune (for all of Act II at least). Deborah Voigt was stunning. Her Act II scene was the best singing I've heard her do. The high notes had an extraordinary visceral impact. I broke out in a sweat. Heppner and Struckmann were no small potatoes and the Vienna Philharmonic deserves its reputation even if they do play as loudly as humanly possible."

Currently in parterre box -- the long-awaited interview with Catherine Malfitano in which the 21st Century Kunstdiva tells all! Also, look for the first installment of All About Steve, the sophisticated backstage comedy, and a selection from the libretto of Douglas Moore's recently rediscovered opera The Ballad of Billy Budd. (Here's a preview!)

An official source at the New York City Opera has revealed to La Cieca that the company did not really want to telecast the tepid Tosca we saw (or, rather, swtiched off) a couple weeks ago. In fact, their original choice was the Clemenza di Tito currently running to strongly positive reviews. But that choice was blackballed, our source says, by the producers of Live from Lincoln Center, on the grounds that the Mozart opera would not pull high enough ratings! When asked why the company's superb production of The Mother of Us All (about the best opera La Cieca has seen in New York this season) was not videotaped for posterity, our source at NYCO replied, "You and I may care, some people in New York may care, but Public Television and America at large definitely do not care about The Mother of Us All. It is very sad and frustrating that such an insightful work will not be available to a larger audience. But is there a larger audience? There were plenty of unsold seats in New York...plenty!

"I suppose we have, in some twisted way, The Three Tenors and its endless success as a pledge week draw to thank for this. We, too, once felt it right to steer away from the tried and true for out telecasts. We thought that this was, after all, in line with the mission of "Public" television. But no. They 'suffered' their worst ratings in many years with our telecasts of Paul Bunyan and Lizzie Borden.

"I assure that this is not what Paul Kellogg wanted to do. The sense around NYCO was that the best choice of this season's operas for a telecast would be Clemenza di Tito, with Mother a second possiblity. But Live From Lincoln Center is so fearful of low ratings for its opera telecasts that they insist on only standard rep. An extremely tippy-top executive at Lincoln Center told an extremely high executive at NYCO that we had to 'toe the line' on the choice of the LFLC people, or else no telecast at all, maybe ever."

According to our source, the ground rules for Live from Lincoln Center seem to be:

• If the program is longer than three hours, forget it (can't bump Charlie Rose!)

• If LFLC doesn't think the show will achieve a certain minimum ratings point, "we can't telecast it" --period

La Cieca is pretty damn pissed that Live from Lincoln Center should go so far toward defying their mandate. I'm sure they would be very interested to hear from you about this very volatile issue. You can email them here or phone 212-875-5339. Their address is:

Live from Lincoln Center
70 Lincoln Center Plaza
New York, NY 10023

(If anyone has an email address for Live from Lincoln Center, please send it to La Cieca here.)

La Cieca has just heard that Bryn Terfel has pulled out of the New York Philharmonic's concert performances of Sweeney Todd. George Hearn will jump in for him.

La Gran Scena Opera Co. kicks off its 19th season in New York with "Murder Most Melodious," an evening of operatic murders, attempted murders... and scenes that are just murder to sing. The program will be presented for two very special performances on Saturday, May 13 at 8:00 PM and Sunday May 14 at 7:00 PM at Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street. Tickets are $25-$45 and are available by calling Ticket Master at (212) 307-4100.

Headed by Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh, the "first lady of operatic theatre" (New York), La Gran Scena celebrates its 19th season in New York with a homicidally hysterical evening encompassing several centuries of music and a myriad of styles. La Gran Scena pays tribute to the current countertenor craze with company countertenor Rodney Ballfree in a scene from Handel's Semele, which also features gifted young African American soprano Kavatina Turner.

Madame Vera adds Lady Macbeth to her vast repertoire with the Sleepwalking Scene; The World's Two Oldest Living Divas, Gabriella Tonnoziti-Casseruola and Helen Back, join forces to play the world's youngest operatic couple, Hansel and Gretel; Gran Scena's star mezzo Philene Wannelle lends her sumptuous voice to the love scene from Samson et Dalila, joined by tenor Mario Costa-Plenti as the gullible Samson.

The evening concludes with Madame Vera bidding farewell to the role of Minnie in La Fanciulla del West, one of her most popular Gran Scena creations. She'll be joined by tenor Bruno Focaccia and the noted Hungarian baritone Fodor Szedan for the red-hot Poker Scene from Puccini's original spaghetti western. As always, the entire evening will be narrated by America's Most Beloved Retired Diva, Miss Sylvia Bills.

In perhaps less thrilling news, the complete Met schedule for 2000-2001 may be found here.

And here's even more gossip from La Cieca!