Problem solved! Problem solved!

EMI Classics will release Fifty Shades of Grey – The Classical Album

F. and Furious F. and Furious

Has it been a year already? Apparently so.

Stairway to paradise Stairway to paradise

We approach, beloveds, as unto a shrine, for these are no ordinary performances.

Kaufmänner Kaufmänner

“Taking the libretto’s description of ‘panther-like’ literally, Bacchus appears in a shiny leopard-print suit…”

Ariadne auf Salzburg Ariadne auf Salzburg

Live webcast from Salzburg, right now: the 1912 Ariadne/Le bourgeois gentilhomme.

A gal a night is enough for me A gal a night is enough for me

Chatter away, cher public, for here is your foyer for off-topic and general interest discussion during the week of August 5.

“He’s a naive domestic Intendant without any breeding, but I think you’ll be amused by his presumption” “He’s a naive domestic Intendant without any breeding, but I think you’ll be amused by his presumption”

With the country mired in a recession and the Met carrying a heavy load of debt, what better publicity can there be than a sycophantic profile in the Wall Street Journal featuring Peter Gelb snarfing up an $800 bottle of “explosively rich” wine?

Quotidian chat Quotidian chat

Attention K-Mart shoppers!

Anything you can do icon do better Anything you can do icon do better

In what surely counts as the most startling sleeper story of the week in opera, soprano Patricia Racette has been canonized a saint in the Russian Orthodox Church.

Suppose they gave a Ring and no one came Suppose they gave a Ring and no one came

For whatever reason (Lack of James Levine? Incompetence of Robert LePage? The economy? Wagner overload?), next season’s Ring cycle at the Met doesn’t seem to be selling.

Marguerite Piazza 1926-2012 Marguerite Piazza 1926-2012

Soprano, television personality and fundraiser Marguerite Piazza died yesterday.

Planks, for the memory Planks, for the memory

The Robert Lepage production of the Ring cycle will be shown complete (including the now de rigueur fifth part of the pentalogy, Wagner’s Dream) September 11-14 on PBS

In the day of success In the day of success

“I have learned by the perfectest report they have more in them than mortal knowledge.”

Questions and antlers Questions and antlers

Verdi’s only successful comic opera, Falstaff, is notably hard to produce.

Puccini three ways Puccini three ways

Puccini’s evening of one-act operas Il Trittico seems to be riding a wave of popularity over the last few years, with a new production at the Met and several high-profile productions in America and Europe.

The king who would be man The king who would be man

Sometimes an obscure opera is revived, and everyone hails a lost masterpiece.

Tone deaf item Tone deaf item

Which Met diva will sing two numbers “down a minor second” in her performances during the 2012-13 season?

Window of opportunity Window of opportunity

You may recall a couple of weeks ago La Cieca spoke to Giuseppe Filianoti about the “lost” aria from Cilea’s L’arlesiana he had reconstructed to include in a concert performance of the opera.

Does anyone still wear an intermission feature? Does anyone still wear an intermission feature?

As Leon Botstein has never said, “I digress.” La Cieca invites you too, cher public, to digress here in your weekly intermission feature.

Smiles on a summer night Smiles on a summer night

Apparently, we learn very little in life; the follies we pursue with haste in youth are answered by the follies we commit in age with great deliberation.

Virgin territory Virgin territory

The chicken or the egg?

Andromache sings again Andromache sings again

Alexandra Deshorties will perform the key role of Juliana Bordereau in the Dallas Opera’s 25th anniversary production of Dominick Argento’s The Aspern Papers.

Uncle Smania Uncle Smania

Scoring the Fire and Music contest was tricky, cher public, as the selections were both quite brief and relatively obscure.

Wer nicht mit dem Woolfe heult Wer nicht mit dem Woolfe heult

Zachary Woolfe (not pictured) makes his way to Bayreuth to try to unravel the Evgeny Nikitin mystery.