Those whom the gods wish to destroy they first misattribute
Born on this day in 480 BC playwright Euripides.
Recent Stories
Feel the early morning madness
“Glenn Close‘s Norma Desmond is back.”
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).
Breaking: horses not to be frightened
“Our patrons are also our investors, and because many of our core subscribers are also our most generous philanthropists, we need to make sure that our programming jives with their expectations, what they’d like to see onstage.”
A whiter shade of pale
While the celebrity-studded, expensively-dressed audience gathered for the gala opening of the Metropolitan Opera’s 2015-2016 season seemed genuinely enthralled by Monday evening’s performance of Otello, it was more likely swept away by the power of Verdi’s genius than by Bartlett Sher’s puzzling, inert new production.
People who pass through Anatevka don’t even know they’ve been here
On this day in 1964 Fiddler on the Roof opened at the Imperial Theater in New York City, to run for 3,242 performances.
Where one will be seen
The results are in for the 2015 fall season poll, and now La Cieca will know where to find the cher public, including some rather out-of-the-way places.
Thank you for smoking
Along with Don Giovanni, Carmen is an odd bird on the list of the most beloved and frequently performed works.
Awakenings
There is a simple elegance to the single-composer recital album format. For the listener in the mood for, say, Puccini, it’s a chance to delve into his music without any pesky interruptions by those other guys like Verdi or Massenet. And if one is also in the mood for a particular singer’s art, then the […]
Moor than a feeling
For those of you who can’t make it to the Met’s opening night, I am happy to provide you the opportunity to experience another Otello with a cast that was unmatchable for 1981.
Dress rehearsal
On this day in 1948 Texaco Star Theater with Milton Berle premiered on NBC.
Money on the dresser
“Hailed ‘the Meryl Streep of opera’…” begins one sentence of a promotional piece for a Diana Damrau recording of another opera, reproduced on the soprano’s website.
On the origin of speechless
On this day in 1833 Charles Darwin rode a horse to Buenos Aires.
Bin ich nun frei?
La Cieca is pleased as can be to announce that our friends at Opera Depot (not pictured) are offering a whopping 60% off on all German opera recordings all week long.
The right to life is the source of all rights—and the right to property is their only implementation
On this day in 1928 Mickey Mouse made his screen debut in Steamboat Willie, a film that will enter the public domain on January 1, 2024.
Here’s Lucy
The breaking news from San Francisco Opera is that Nadine Sierra will sing the title role of in a new production of Lucia di Lammermoor, replacing Diana Damrau, who will not.
The puff preliminary
Anna, Bart and Peter talk about the Met’s new season with the always engaging Michael Cooper of the New York Times.
Ah, je ris!
How this slipped under La Cieca’s radar she’ll never know: the premiere of a new opera based on the Tintin adventure Les Bijoux de la Castafiore.
“Old prices!”
On this day in 1809 the second Theatre Royal, Covent Garden (designed by Robert Smirke) opened with a performance of Macbeth followed by a musical entertainment called The Quaker.
Red-headed woman
Sills at the peak of her powers and Handel’s 1743 secular oratorio make a perfect match.
Witches’ honor!
On this day in 1964 Bewitched premiered on ABC.