Sun rises in east
“World class tenor Rolando Villazón is ‘excited’” [Metro.co.uk]
Recent Stories
Of maestro and men
A member of the cher public reminds La Cieca, “How soon do we start wondering who will conduct the new Rheingold at the Met? I thought I would see Jimmy at Tanglewood next week for the Mahler 2nd, but Mikey Twinkle-Toes will be in charge that evening.” La Cieca’s answer: it’s never too soon to […]
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).
Three-way
An ambitious and Wagner-smitten Ruggero Leoncavallo wrote his rarely heard opera I Medici (Historical Action in Four Acts) as the beginning of what he planned as “an epic poem in the form of a historical trilogy.” Taking his lead from the Ring, Leoncavallo called his planned trilogy Crepesculum, an homage to the Italian translation of […]
Waiting for the Regie E. Lee
The inimitable Hans Lick has done it again, and before you exclaim “Done what again? Doesn’t he know the meaning of the word probation?” let La Cieca hasten to add that what he’s done is to guess last week’s Regie quiz, and right on the nose he was with Idomeneo. (This Katie Mitchell production for […]
Second Rance
Lucio Gallo‘s name has quietly been substituted for that of Juha Uusitalo in the Met’s 2010-2011 performances of La fanciulla del West.
Chat is busting out all over
UPDATE: La Cieca is calling this one for Le Damnation de Faust. The performance (and chat) starts at 1:00 pm EDT, and the list of online stations carrying the WFMT broadcast may be found here.
Opera House of Wax
“Ms. Zambello’s production has plenty of 3-D-friendly texture. The opening scene includes women standing next to a trough of water, dipping their hair in and flinging it back, spraying the stage with water. A real donkey, chicken and black stallion appear. Two acrobats dance and flip across the stage. Confetti flies and ribbons wave. Cast […]
I was star-struck
Opera Orchestra of New York will jump-start its new incarnation in 2010-11 with a double bill of La Navarraise (Roberto Alagna, Elina Garanca) and Cavalleria rusticana (Alagna again, with Maria Guleghina and Mignon Dunn[!!!]), conducted by Music Director Designate Alberto Veronesi at Carnegie Hall on October 25. Eve Queler returns to the podium for L’Africaine […]
Tout gai!
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Gay Pride (the 40th official anniversary, anyway) coming up this weekend, La Cieca proposes this week’s YouTube contest theme: “Tout gai!”
Put on your Tuesday clothes
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Intermezzo (not pictured) reacts to last night’s prima of Manon at the Royal Opera: Anna Netrebko “sang strongly, the voice fuller and darker than ever before, looking gorgeous” and Vittorio Grigolo‘s “technique and stamina were truly spectacular.” The pair “were, deservedly, a huge hit with the audience…. authentic and […]
After the ball is over
[Castrati] “were notorious for their sexual adventures [and] presumably able to overcome liabilities like an underdeveloped penis and variable erectile function.” So, really, all things considered, maybe castration wasn’t so bad after all. [Failure Magazine]
It’s Done!
La Cieca congratulates winner Stevey (not pictured) for his masterful curatorial efforts in the “Now That’s How It’s Done” challenge, and the DVD of the Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center will soon wing its way Steveyward.
Orphée descending
Juan Diego Flórez is without question a superstar of bel canto repertory, but the recent release of the recording of his role debut as Orphée in Gluck’s Orphée et Eurydice at the Teatro Real in Madrid raises some interesting questions. Among these questions, first and foremost is the nature of Orpheus, and whether Flórez has […]
Touch or go?
Mlle. La Taupe continues to report from San Francisco’s Die Walküre: “I neglected to comment about the photos of the fallen heroes, posted upon the jungle gym-like structures on the Walkuerenstein. To be noted as they are photos of fallen soldiers in recent American wars. Pictures are shown by courtesy of and with permission from […]
Milestone in the making
Congratulations to Bill, who submitted comment number 125,000!
Retouch of Madness
In honor of all the gala things happening to Charles Busch this summer (including the 25th anniversary of his seminal play Vampire Lesbians of Sodom and the Channel 13 telecast of the documentary The Lady in Question is Charles Busch), La Cieca is delighted to republish an interview the playwright/male actress granted to parterre box […]
Regie within reach
That trio of delicious candy-covered ladies tempted you to all sorts of wrong guesses, cher public, but nobody could figure out their relationship to each other, which would surely have given the game away. They’re cousins, you see, and the work in which they appear is Offenbach’s La Périchole as presented at the Komische Oper […]
Something for the birds
UPDATE: The results are in, and the topic for this afternoon’s chat session will be Maria Stuarda. Please look after the jump for details.
“Tu vois je suis encore coquette!”
La Cieca is of the opinion that there are some sopranos who can act Manon, some who can sing Manon, and some who simply are Manon. This snippet from a recent interview may suggest which category Anna Netrebko fits into.
L’argent fait sizzle
“Renée Fleming‘s thrilling new album ‘Dark Hope’ (Decca) debuts at #151 today on the Billboard Top 200 chart, with the highest first-week sales of the superstar soprano’s storied career…. The debut follows a performance by Fleming of Muse’s ‘Endlessly’ last week on Good Morning America, and major print and online coverage including two arts cover […]
Now, that’s how it’s done!
La Cieca proposes a new weekly competition: she provides the theme, you provide the examples. This week: “Now, that’s how it’s done!”
Mortali! il vostro fato è in vostra mano!
“Even if you’re not going to the concert, you can visit the website www.mariinsky.ru and decide Guleghina’s fate.” These words fraught with doleful moment invite you, the cher public, to play at gods with the repertoire of soprano Maria Guleghina (not pictured).
Happy Birthday Jeanette MacDonald
The Ginger Galli-Curci was born June 18, 1903.