post operative
“Mermaid meets boy, mermaid loses voice, mermaid loses boy.” Our Own JJ reports about Rusalka at the Met.
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fan club
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.)
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).
sulla tua testa vigili la mia benedizion (ancor!)
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 […]
“as a child, this writer got beaten up often than cavaradossi”
“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]
up, up and regie
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.
the turban jungle
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. […]
“No offense, dude, but I don’t swing that way!”
“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]
turban outfitters
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
diva deterrent
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 […]
song to the moonshine
[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
sister act
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 […]
Renee Fleming (seated) and Barry Banks (standing) … in the Met’s 2010 Mary Zimmerman Armida
[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”.]
hit it, boys!
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 […]
“exasperating!” raves the new york times
Tony Tommasini weighs in on the Met’s Sonnambula.
no way out
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” /]
the sonnambula chat
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.
a place at the table
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” /]
son geloso del chat errante
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.
to die with honor
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.”
regie from the block
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
tales of the tunnel
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” /]
is it just me, or…
… does Sondra Radvanovsky (particularly in middle voice) sound eerily like Shirley Verrett?
i wake up screaming
[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 […]