“It is discouraging how many people are shocked by honesty and how few by deceit”
Born on this day in 1899 composer, playwright and actor Noel Coward.
Recent Stories
All in the family
Here’s a project apparently nobody has thought of and it’s a sure winner: Semiramide with Cecilia Bartoli and Franco Fagioli.
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).
Woman of the century
Happy 100th birthday soprano Hilde Zadek!
Afterlife
The Bayerische Staatsoper, purveyor of fascinating video opera, continues to innovate.
Broadcast: The Merry Widow
Sassy Susan Graham is Hanna Glawari tonight at the Met, broadcast starting at 7:30 PM.
Polar opposite
“Trove Thursday” offers Glinka’s A Life for the Tsar with Albina Shagimuratova, Alisa Kolosova, Dmytro Popov and Gennadi Bezzubenkov.
Seine city
On this day in 1918 Puccini’s Il Trittico premiered at the Metropolitan Opera.
Declining
Mr. Plummer is very wise and La Cieca intends (in a general sense) to continue to follow his example.
Mémoires en fuite
Happy 90th birthday actress Genevieve Page.
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!
È caduta l’altra scarpia
“Sir Bryn Terfel has had to withdraw from the Met’s new production of Puccini’s Tosca as he takes enforced rest due to vocal fatigue.”
Webcast: La Bohème
Join La Cieca at the final frontier of Claus Guth‘s controversial new production of La Bohème, webcast at 1:30 PM today.
“And maybe a candle”
>Happy 60th birthday playwright, actor, film director and (sort of) opera director Robert Lepage.
E qui la luna l’abbiamo vicina
“Puccini’s operas seldom take well to abstraction, since the composer engraved every detail of what should happen into the score so specifically that there was little wiggle room left.”
Sing out, Lucille
On this day in 1960 the Cy Coleman musical Wildcat (Lucille Ball‘s only Broadway show) opened at the Alvin Theatre, to run 141 performances.
Broadcast: The Richard Tucker Gala
Starting at 6:00 PM, a live broadcast of this year’s Richard Tucker festivities.
If loving you is sarong I don’t want to to right
Born on this day in 1914 actress and singer Dorothy Lamour.
Golden wreck
I really wished to avoid joining the pig pile of derision that has fallen on SF Opera’s premiere of John Adams and Peter Sellars’ Girls of the Golden West.
Broadcast: Magic Flute
It’s the mini-version of Flute this afternoon, starting at 12:30 PM.
Well-trod cinders in fitting slippers
Forgotten operas when revived may prove to be only their own reward.
“It would appear that I have tried everything except incest and folkdancing”
Born on this day in 1897 actress Hermione Gingold.
Forgiveness
It was odd, if not downright uncomfortable, to watch Le Nozze di Figaro at the Metropolitan Opera.
Forever, Amber
My takeaway from this evening is that I want to hear a lot more from Amber Wagner.
