La Cieca admits the Regie quiz candidate from a couple of weeks ago was something of a ringer as it was a new work, and a children’s opera at that. So it’s only reasonable that none of you guessed it was Antonia und der Reißteufel, as performed at the Vienna Volksoper. (Duh!)
Gotham Chamber Opera presented Haydn’s Il Mondo della Luna on Tuesday evening at the Museum of Natural History’s Hayden Planetarium, in a production that took advantage of the museum’s NASA constellations and a multitude of other more economical yet impressive stage and lighting effects. Despite cramped quarters and inhospitable acoustics, the company made a strong […]
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).
“In space, no one can hear you scream — but in a planetarium, everyone can hear you sing.” Our Own JJ (not pictured) reviews Haydn’s Il mondo della luna. [NYP]
Enjoy your mockery while you can, cher public. The New York Times has decided they are going to start charging for content “in early 2011.” So, in a year or so, you won’t have Tony Tommasini to kick around any more.
Our Own JJ scoops the world, yet once again. By two weeks, yet.
A glimpse of Il mondo della luna, the Gotham Chamber Opera production opening tonight at NYC’s Hayden Planetarium.
The Met role debut of Plácido Domingo as “Simone” Boccanegra (as those lady journalists insist on calling him) is the subject of tonight’s broadcast chat.
The host of “The Vocal Scene” and frequent commentator on the Met broad casts has died. He was 100. [WQXR] After the jump, a sampling of George Jellinek‘s legendary interviewing and programming skills.
According to the Opéra national de Paris website, “Le retrait d’Emmanuelle Haïm de la production fait suite au constat réciproque, au terme des premières répétitions, que le temps de travail nécessaire pour faire converger son approche artistique et celle de l’orchestre était incompatible avec les contraintes de programmation de l’Opéra national de Paris.”
Any article bearing the headline “I am doing this for the public” is sure to catch La Cieca’s attention. All the better when the “this” is a new recording of La traviata starring the exiles of Rome Opera, Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato.
A new toy to play with, cher public: it’s called YouTube Doubler. (Caution: Video autoplays when you click through the jump!)
La Cieca hears that Emmanuelle Haïm has been protested by the orchestra of the Opéra national de Paris and will be removed as conductor of the company’s new production of Idomeneo opening on Wednesday. Replacing her will be Philippe Hui, whoever that is.
For her role as Maria Callas in the Kennedy Center’s Master Class, Tyne Daly sure cleans up nicely!
Cher public, did you think your doyenne would let today’s broadcast of Carmen go by undiscussed — especially since Teddy Tahu Rhodes is jumping in for the (presumably) ailing Mariusz Kwiecien?
Congratulations to Rysanekfreak (pictured), contributor of the best top ten list in La Cieca’s Oughty But Nice competition. The ‘Freak’s somewhat meta compilation was entitled The Top Ten Participants I Have Most Enjoyed Reading on Parterre Box During the Last Decade. Rysanekfreak will receive a $100 gift card from amazon.com.
The Sultan of Seattle himself, Wenarto, thought of it first. In fact, he created the legend that is Izzy Anderson. And now, that British TV show has taken his idea and just polished it up a little. Royalties, please!
“Unlike Ms. Garanca, Ponselle was among the many Carmens who have tried some real dancing.” Why is La Cieca not surprised that one of the few intelligent and detailed surveys of the dramatic element of the Met’s new Carmen should be written by a dance critic? [NYT]
“I should make it clear here that neither have I married anyone with a beard nor have I ever murdered anyone. However, it was at this juncture in the early Noughties that my life hit rock bottom.” [The Times]
Puccini’s shockeroo was first performed 110 years ago today, January 14, 1900, at the at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome.
“Why can’t a general director with the fame, charm and ability of Domingo roll up his sleeves and work to realize his vision, rather than distancing himself from the results? The answer: because he isn’t actually there, running the company. He’s conducting Stiffelio, or singing Simone Boccanegra, or trying to keep up with his other […]
Set the DVR! Tonight on TCM at 8:00 PM: among the campiest of all operatic movie musicals, The Great Waltz, starring that most stratospheric of sopranos, Miliza Korjus!
Some composers write as if the dividing line between instruments that play notes and the voice, which usually sings a text and takes some of its attitude towards the music from that text, were not an all-important factor.
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