Text appeal
What makes Norma such a high-profile role in the soprano repertory?
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Glorifier
Born on this day in 1867 American director and producer Florenz Ziegfeld, Jr.
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).
Woolfe at the door
Longtime Friend of the Box Zachary Woolfe (left) climbs onto the masthead of the New York Times as their new classical music editor, starting Monday.
From a distance
Off the Peg
On this day in 1991, the Los Angeles County Superior Court awarded singer Peggy Lee $3.83 million in her lawsuit against the Walt Disney Company.
Protestant movement
La Cieca is sure that Meyerbeer fanatics will be delighted to hear that the Royal Opera House Covent Garden is preparing a new staging of Les Huguenots.
That special face
>Happy 100th birthday actress Patricia Morison.
The kids are not all right
“’They’re young… they’re in love… and they kill people’ goes the tagline for the 1968 film Bonnie and Clyde, but the slogan could apply almost as well to the outlaw pair at the center of the Metropolitan Opera’s white-hot revival of Massenet’s Manon.”
Diegetic soda
On this day in 1963 the musical Tovarich opened at the Broadway Theater.
Spring can really hang you up the most
Zeljko Lucic has withdrawn from his spring Met engagements due to illness.
Ecco un artista!
Just discovered: a Swedish documentary about Birgit Nilsson.
With crows
On this day in 1901 a showing of seventy-one Vincent van Gogh paintings in Paris, 11 years after his death, created a sensation.
Ah, youth!
Once again, your alte Jungfer is pleased to offer a performance by a polarizing diva: it seems that parterriani either love her or loathe her.
Una vendetta in domino
On this day in 1792 King Gustav III of Sweden was shot by Count Anckarström at a masked ball at the Opera.
Opera snooze
That much-anticipated and much-feared “exposé” about Peter Gelb and the Met? Almost completely rehash.
Plunging
Never mind the décolletage, cher public, but rather discuss off-topic and general interest topics. For starters, take a look at today’s birthday greetings, after the jump.
Jewels of the nile
No two ways about it, cher public, you fell in love with the “They’re only in it for the ‘dp'” competition, and two of you came around the last turn neck and neck.
Kitchen confidential
On this day in 1936 the first all-sound film version of Show Boat opened at Radio City Music Hall.
Where in the world is Cecilia Bartoli?
“Famed mezzo-soprano Cecilia Bartoli has canceled her California tour, including performances March 31 and April 2 at UC Berkeley’s Zellerbach Hall.”
“Give me Kitty Carlisle any day!”
“On The Academy Awards [Lady Gaga] was a travesty. It was ridiculous, as it would be from any singer who treats that music in semi-operatic style.”
Corner of the sky
On this day 1781 William Herschel discovered Uranus.
Plain and simple
“Michael Volle is not into bling,” begins an article in ACT-O, the glossy magazine of the Grand Théâtre de Genève.
Magic “Flute”
A confession: I have a real love/ hate relationship with Mozart’s Die Zauberflote.