“And Mlle. Lablache was a very acceptable Marta”
On this day in 1883 the Metropolitan Opera House opened its inaugural season with Gounod’s Faust.
Recent Stories
Lounge act
After nearly three years and over 20 performances Michael Mayer’s “Las Vegas” production of Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera still outrages many.
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).
Nunsense
A Court of Appeals in Paris has ordered BelAir Classiques to remove from its catalog a video recording of Dialogues des carmélites as staged by Dmitri Tcherniakov for the Bayerische Staatsoper.
From hell
On this day in 1858 Jacques Offenbach‘s opera Orphée aux Enfers premiered in Paris.
Love, Sydney
On this day in 1973 the Sydney Opera House opened.
Outer Burroughs
New York is different now, and John Zorn has this hangout, The Stone, on Avenue C (you heard me) at Second Street, a performance space the size of a largeish dorm room.
Alpha and omega
On Wednesday, the still-active, still radiant Virginia Zeani turns 90.
The most beautiful woman in the world, almost
Born on this day in 1945, “US-amerikanische Drag Queen und Euro-Disco-Sänger” Divine.
“Let her go!”
In this new work, entitled Can Belto, a group of terrorists kidnap and hold hostage Broadway diva Idina Menzel.
Elektral college
La Cieca thought the cher public might like to share some of their favorite Elektra videos and anecdotes.
My name is Barbara
On this day in 1966 The Apple Tree opened at the Shubert Theater, starring Barbara Harris, won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical.
High notes on camp
“In naïve, or pure, Camp, the essential element is seriousness, a seriousness that fails.”
Est nunquam molestum lupo quot oves exsistant
Happy birthday to music critic Zachary Woolfe.
Ed ora come faccio?… Così!
“English National Opera is staging a modern-day version of La bohème in which the lead female character is a heroin user rather than a consumptive.”
It’s a time for making merry
Happy 90th birthday actress Angela Lansbury.
Apotheosis
There is something for everyone on the internet, even classical music aficionados who are looking for fellow bacon-lovers to share stories about breastfeeding porn arrests.
Durch Mitleid wissend
“The Spanish musician went to hospital Tuesday night after experiencing extreme pain and vomiting after conducting Tosca.”
Dancing in the dark
One Saturday afternoon during my freshman year in college, Richard Strauss’s Elektra made me fall in love with Ursula Schröder-Feinen—or maybe vice versa.
Lieder von Liebe und Mertz
On this day in 1951 I Love Lucy debuted on CBS.
Upbeat news
Put your hands together for Yannick Nézet-Séguin, who has been named Musical America‘s Artist of the Year.
The blind leading the blind
Which usually calm superstar’s running, jumping or standing (not to mention conducting) will have to be put on hold for at least two weeks while he goes under the knife at a Manhattan hospital?
Where’s the fire?
“Everyone complains about how there is no great singing in opera anymore, but last week’s performances suggest that’s not so. The singing today is mostly fine; it’s everything else that’s the problem.”
Who needs what money can buy?
On this day in 1930 Ethel Merman made her Broadway debut in Girl Crazy.