Sensational
“Juan Diego Flórez made an untraditional Nemorino, his small but diamond-bright tenor unlike the luscious lyric voice usually heard in this part.”
Recent Stories
No greater joy
A rare production of Rossini’s Otello, with a perhaps even rarer stage performance by Cecilia Bartoli (in her role debut as Desdemona) should provide an interesting afternoon’s viewing this Thursday.
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).
Teenager in love
L’elisir d’amore, Donizetti’s evergreen comedy about young love, returned to the Met last night with a strong cast, a high energy level from all the performers, and last but not least, a very full house.
Senior moment
Being an opera lover in Los Angeles is a lot like being a Red Sox fan. As hard as they try we never make it to the World Series, let alone the playoffs.
Mein Ross! Sei mir gegrüsst!
“Pound for pound, ton for ton, it is the most witless and wasteful production in modern operatic history.”
The intermission feature must go on
The cher public is reminded not to touch the ladies of the ensemble as they discuss off-topic and general interest subject during the week of March 4.
What the frock
“Joined by Maestro Kohn, Ms. Gheorghiu was a vision of couture fit for the cover of Vogue.”
Housekeeping
La Cieca (pictured, right) would like to take this opportunity before jumping on this afternoon’s Aïda chat to address a site issue or two.
Boathouse Betty
La Cieca just glimpsed this “save the date” from NYCO’s development department.
Dessa!
La Cieca hears that soprano Latonia Moore will make her Metropolitan Opera debut this Saturday afternoon.
Sexual perversity in Chicago
In what surely must count as La Cieca’s idea of a perfect storm, Zachary Woolfe interviews Calixto Bieito in the New York Times.
I’ll never love this way again
Two questions: 1) Why? and 2) How might this postlude be staged?
Now it is the turn of the poor little small one
It is hard to know just who is the intended audience for this release of Pelléas and Mélisande.
Hard cover
“Jessye Norman, the renowned opera singer, will write a memoir about her family and professional life, her publisher said on Wednesday.”
Happy Leap Day!
YouTube yourselves into frenzy, cher public!
Dark victory
“In a season of high-profile duds like Don Giovanni and the Ring, the Met has found a winner in a dark horse, Mussorgsky’s moody Khovanshchina.”
Hostage situation
“Central to the story is the fictional famed American soprano, Roxanne Coss, who will be portrayed by Australian-born American soprano Danielle de Niese.“
Balk like an Egyptian
Sondra Radvanovsky will make her Met role debut as the title character in Verdi’s Aida on February 28…
The seasons alter
It takes a lot from your commenters to surprise La Cieca, but this time she was frankly bowled over by the depth and breadth of your imagination.
Comment before you leap
Anything off-topic, anything general, anyone’ birthday—here’s where it belongs, cher public.
Time to say goodbye
La Cieca has just heard some interesting and completely plausible gossip about 2013-14.
Castaway
A live webcast of Ariadne auf Naxos (starring Our Own Renée Fleming) will be transmitted from the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden Saturday afternoon starting at 2:15 PM ET.
Doge gone
Opera Orchestra of New York just announced that it has cancelled the March 7 opera-in-concert presentation of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra.