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A preview of the new (and now available) Angela Gheorghiu/Jonas Kaufmann/Antonio Pappano performance of Madama Butterfly — a rare avatar of that extinct species the “studio recording.” Amazon.com Widgets (If you don’t see the amazon player above, try here.)
La Cieca has managed to pry the keyboard away from Our Own JJ for a moment to remind her cher public that she does, in fact, still exist, in the shadows as it were. Anyway, your doyenne will attend the Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit tonight and will share with you tomorrow a soupcon or…
“Despite an economy falling faster than Tosca from the parapet of Castel Sant’Angelo, the Women’s Board of the Lyric Opera set a record Friday for their uber-glam wine auction: $1.2 million.” [Bill Daley in the Chicago Tribune]
Last week’s Regie quiz could have depicted any number of operas, and La Cieca doubts there’s any opera title that wasn’t guessed. But the answer was La Vida Breve as presented by Oper Frankfurt, David Hermann (director). And now another opera done the Regie way.
UPDATE: The winner of the Turban Competition is the Roberto Alagna photo, submitted by Vanderdecken. The cher public has quite figuratively buried La Cieca in turbans since yesterday, more than 50 in all. Choosing a “best” five was a daunting task, but your doyenne did her best and has determined that her decisions are final.…
“And a sweeping tale it is even if you just listen to the romantic strings alone . . . but here’s a video of Sherril Milnes as Minnie fielding Sherriff Rance’s advances.” [examiner.com]
As La Cieca hardly thinks she needs tell you, among the attributes of a prima donna necessary to the success of a performance of Adriana Lecouvreur are morbidezza, il sacro fuoco, voce di petto and of course the ability to wear a turban. And surely you do realize that, sad to say, not everyone can pull off a turban.Â
She’s headlined at the Paris Opera and the Met. She’s sung for kings and queens and for Nelson Riddle. She’s provoked feuds with teenagers. But now Dame Kiri te Kanawa has revealed a hitherto undiscovered talent: fighting crime. The mayor of a New Zealand city plays recordings of the Kiwi songbird in order to deter…
Tell us: What’s your favorite Verdi performance?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Don’t cry because it’s over
Don’t cry because it’s over
Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.
Grand Tier Grab Bag hearkens back to the days when Sondra Radvanovsky — who is singing no Verdi at all next season — seemed like the Verdi soprano of reference.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Rizzin’ to the occasion
Rizzin’ to the occasion
Parterre Box features the Met’s current Eugene Onegin, Iurii Samoilov, in a performance of Rossini ahead of a return to Pesaro this summer.
Parterre Box features the Met’s current Eugene Onegin, Iurii Samoilov, in a performance of Rossini ahead of a return to Pesaro this summer.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
When they go low
When they go low
Nostalgic for bass month, Parterre Box offers excerpts from two young basses to watch: Giorgi Manoshvili and Patrick Guetti.
Nostalgic for bass month, Parterre Box offers excerpts from two young basses to watch: Giorgi Manoshvili and Patrick Guetti.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Nailin’ the coughin’
Nailin’ the coughin’
Rosa Feola, still scheduled for a run of performances as Violetta in New York this spring, is the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.
Rosa Feola, still scheduled for a run of performances as Violetta in New York this spring, is the subject of this week’s Grand Tier Grab Bag.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Landing the plane
Landing the plane
With Nixon, Klinghoffer, and Andris Nelsons on the mind, Parterre Box offers a recording of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recent John Adams outing.
With Nixon, Klinghoffer, and Andris Nelsons on the mind, Parterre Box offers a recording of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recent John Adams outing.
Grand Tier Grab Bag
Le galant tireur
Le galant tireur
American tenor Charles Castronovo performs a bit of Weber’s Der Freischütz ahead of the opportunity to hear Berlioz‘s take on the score at Carnegie Hall next week.
American tenor Charles Castronovo performs a bit of Weber’s Der Freischütz ahead of the opportunity to hear Berlioz‘s take on the score at Carnegie Hall next week.
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/2bY1unOjt7w” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] “I just think she always sounds like she’s drunk, especially when she tries to be serious.” – YouTube Commenter
Christine Brewer and Linda Watson will share the role of Brünnhilde in Wagner’s Der Ring des Nibelungen in all performances at the Met this season. Lisa Gasteen was originally scheduled to sing Brünnhilde in the second and third cycles, but has withdrawn from the performances due to a back injury. Brewer will replace her in…
[This caption by rysanekfreak replaces La Cieca’s original, “So it’s agreed: Roberto gets the house in Monte Carlo; Angela gets custody of the gays”.]
When la Cieca’s dear friend and chief flunky around parterre.com JJ shlepped out this morning to fetch a copy of the New York Post, he seemed oddly keyed up. “With what I got in me, I could have been better than any of you,” JJ muttered. Flinging the tabloid down on the breakfast bar, he…
Tony Tommasini weighs in on the Met’s Sonnambula.
A quick YouTube search for “opera” this morning yields this startling snippet. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/EM1YsAZnBAU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
La Cieca thanks all you cher public who participated in the live chat during the broadcast of La sonnambula, and a special thanks to featuring your guest host Sanford.
The staging you may like or not like (and La Cieca is sure you will not be shy about expressing your opinion), but, my goodness, what gorgeous singing from Tatiana Monogarova and Mariusz Kwiecien! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/kC6cuSQuyd0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Talk of the Town
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Ivy Lin
A favorite Verdi performance from Ivy Lin
This is one of those rare performances that makes you believe that everything Verdi was greater Way Back When.
This is one of those rare performances that makes you believe that everything Verdi was greater Way Back When.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Mister Snow
A favorite Verdi performance from Mister Snow
Nothing prepared me for the Soviero experience
Nothing prepared me for the Soviero experience
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva
A favorite Verdi performance from Tildy Diva
A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance
A well-known Met Aïda with a starry cast from 1967 is TildyDiva’s Favorite Verdi Performance
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo
A favorite Verdi performance from Arrigo
My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.
My favorite Verdi performance is Claudio Abbado Don Carlo opening of the Scala.
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell
A favorite Verdi performance from Peter Russell
The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording
The purely musical performance preserved here is thrilling, ratcheted to a higher intensity than the Deutsche Grammophon studio recording
The Talk of the Town
A favorite Verdi performance from TC
A favorite Verdi performance from TC
Victoria de los Ángeles has always been my Violetta of choice, a portrayal that never ceases to move me.
Victoria de los Ángeles has always been my Violetta of choice, a portrayal that never ceases to move me.
La Cieca invites you to join guest host Sanford and the cher public for a friendly little webchat tonight, March 2, 2009 during the broadcast on Sirius and RealNetworks of Bellini’s La sonnambula live from the Metropolitan Opera. Please check back at parterre.com at 7:45 PM to access the chat login screen.
Patricia Racette takes over the remaining performances of Madama Butterfly this season (March 3 and 7) at the Met including the HD telecast, “replacing Cristina Gallardo-Domâs who is ill.”
Quite a few of you, led by Chris, guessed correctly that last week’s Regie puzzler was La bohème. So La Cieca will ratchet up the challenge a bit this week with a less familiar opera.Â
It’s good to know that after the nuclear apocalypse there will still be Lois Kirschenbaum to keep Cher and the cockroaches company. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/FGnWt7pWRPs” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
… does Sondra Radvanovsky (particularly in middle voice) sound eerily like Shirley Verrett?
[Our Own Gualtier Malde (along with a few thousand other people) attended the public dress rehearsal of the Met’s new production of La sonnambula this morning. Here is his report.] Innocence, rustic naiveté and virginity just don’t get no respect no more. I should know, I grew up way out in central New Jersey and…
La Cieca hears the distressing news from Paris that Rolando Villazon was advised by his current management to cancel his March appearances as Werther in order to “rest and refresh the voice,” but as of today is still planning to go on in the Massenet opera. Villazon’s appearances in Paris run through March 18, leaving…
La Cieca continues her salute to the diamond birthday of Renata Scotto with a new episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera. The podcast features the first act of La sonnambula as performed at the Teatro la Fenice on May 26, 1961. La sonnambula, act 1 Renata Scotto (Amina), Alfredo Kraus (Elivino), Ivo Vinco (Rodolfo), Rosa…
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