Private faces
Happy 87th birthday to actress and diseuse Siân Phillips.
Recent Stories
Der Rosenkavalier
Starring Renée Fleming, Christine Schäfer, Susan Graham, Eric Cutler, Thomas Allen, and Kristinn Sigmundsson, conducted by Edo de Waart. Production by Nathaniel Merrill. From January 9, 2010.
Die Walküre, Act 1
Conductor: Asher Fisch; Sieglinde: Lise Davidsen; Siegmund: Jonas Kaufmann; Hunding: Georg Zeppenfeld.
Hey there, orgy girl
La Cieca is delighted to be informed that radio station WHRB is presenting an “Opera Divas Orgy” today and tomorrow.
In memoriam Pauline Tinsley
Pauline Tinsley, who died May 11, made few commercial recordings; Trove Thursday offers the thrilling English soprano in excerpts over nearly two decades from nine works ranging from Handel to Richard Strauss.
Down in the depths
Born on this day in 1922 actress Bea Arthur.
Tristan und Isolde
Starring Jane Eaglen, Katarina Dalayman, Ben Heppner, Hans-Joachim Ketelsen, and René Pape, conducted by James Levine. Production by Dieter Dorn. From December 18, 1999.
Confrontation, catharsis and crisis
One by one, we see the principals arriving at the eerily empty building. Something about watching them—masked and in street clothes, struggling with umbrellas—was almost unbearably emotional for me.
(Another) Change of Season
Last year at this time, performance arts organizations in NYC were announcing that the COVID pandemic would force closures through the summer. We here at parterre box, having honed our mantic powers predicting the precise timing of a singer’s vocal collapse, foresaw a grimmer reality.
“Without discipline, there’s no life at all”
Born on this day in 1907 actress Katharine Hepburn.
Don Giovanni
Starring Carol Vaness, Karita Mattila, Dawn Upshaw, Jerry Hadley, Samuel Ramey, Ferruccio Furlanetto and Kurt Moll, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From April 5, 1990.
Ghena Meirson 1957-2021
April is the cruelest month, the song tells us—but this year, it was a week later. Ghenady Meirson, Philadelphia’s master of Russian Opera and coach extraordinaire, died on May 8.
Everything the traffic will allow
Born on this day in 1888 composer Irving Berlin.
La Bohème
Starring Teresa Stratas, Renata Scotto, José Carreras, Richard Stilwell, and James Morris, conducted by James Levine. Production by Franco Zeffirelli. From January 16, 1982.
Maddalena scene
This solid if not stellar performance finds our diva in particularly passionate form. Maybe they should have re-titled it Maddalena?
“Do it big, do it right and do it with style”
Born on this day in 1899, film and Broadway’s most elegant danseur, Fred Astaire.
Agrippina
Starring Brenda Rae, Joyce DiDonato, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Duncan Rock, and Matthew Rose, conducted by Harry Bicket. Production by Sir David McVicar. From February 29, 2020.
Only one is a wanderer
On this day in 1958 Alfred Hitchcock‘s psychological thriller Vertigo premiered in San Francisco.
Wagnerians Live in Concert
Transmitted live from the grand Hessisches Staatstheater in Wiesbaden, Germany, this concert features sopranos Christine Goerke and Elza van den Heever, tenor Andreas Schager and baritone Michael Volle, with pianist Craig Terry.
Fly me to the moon
Happy birthday tenor Michael Fabiano.
Wozzeck
Starring Elza van den Heever, Tamara Mumford, Christopher Ventris, Gerhard Siegel, Andrew Staples, Peter Mattei, and Christian Van Horn, conducted by Yannick Nézet-Séguin. Production by William Kentridge. From January 11, 2020.
Tosca
In Royal Swedish Opera’s concert performance,the title role is performed by soprano Malin Byström.
Shade in the shadow
Ombra Compagna, out today on Pentatone, spotlights Lisette Oropesa in 10 of Mozart’s most challenging concert arias accompanied by Il Pomo d’Oro conducted by Antonello Manacorda.