Per molts anys, Montserrat!
Beloved diva Montserrat Caballe is 73 today!
Recent Stories
Vollendet das ewige Werk!
Finally, finally La Cieca has an updated archive/download page for all the “Unnatural Acts of Opera” podcasts. Enjoy your downloading and please let her know if any of the links don’t work for you. (And, as always, note the Amazon Honor System box in the right nav bar; that’s what keeps the podcasts and the […]
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).
Buzz from the hive
In La Cieca’s inbox this AM: “I work at the Met and am so pleased to see clarified the entire Erika Sunnegardh mystery. It had actually never occurred to me that the Godfather Himself was behind this, but it makes perfect horrible sense. We (the worker bees) cannot WAIT for him to be history (lower-case […]
The Music Woman
Broadway/cabaret legend and devoted opera buff Barbara Cook conducted a master class in show tune interpretation at the New York Public Library on February 21. Through the miracle of streaming video, you can now see and hear that extraordinary session.
We’re here, we’re mainstream, get used to it
So, who said this? “… all opera hovers on the border of parody. No other performing art — except possibly dance — so exposes its practitioners to ridicule. Part of the thrill of opera is pitting sheer volume against human limitations, the constant awareness of the possibility of failure.” Was it James McCourt? Ethan Mordden? […]
Now even more tubular
Those geniuses at YouTube just made the service even more friendly, if you can imagine such a thing. Now La Cieca can insert into a web site a player that includes a choice of 50 different opera videos. You’ll want to bookmark the new Unnatural Acts of Video page.
Lenz crafters
Next up in the spring podcast season, Act 1 of Die Walkuere starring Eileen Farrell, James King and Michael Langdon. Leonard Bernstein leads this sizzling 1968 performance. Unnatural Acts of Opera.
President Coolidge is a cousin of mine
“Be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else.” That’s the advice Judy Garland gave Liza Minnelli, and I think we can all agree that dear Liza took those words to heart with great success. At the moment, though, La Cieca is wondering how Judy would feel about a […]
Diva wrangler
Gloria Monty, the TV producer who helmed General Hospital during the golden “Luke and Laura” years, died on April 4. She was 84. Perhaps Ms. Monty’s greatest claim to fame was the stunt casting of a 60-something Joan Crawford as an emergency substitute for daughter Christina Crawford on the soap Secret Storm. As Bob Thomas […]
You’re going out a youngster but I’ve got to come back a star!
Like many of you, La Cieca was a little surprised at the blitz of publicity attendant upon the Met debut of Erika Sunnegardh last Saturday afternoon. A front-page feature in the New York Times, and then, a few days later, a followup article with photographs taken in the soprano’s dressing room. But did you notice […]
Three Tenors, approximately
At last night’s Don Pasquale prima, Juan Diego Florez was “souffrant” but sang the first two acts, then ceded the role to Barry Banks, who apparently rose to the occasion beautifully. Eduardo Villa sings the final Luisa Miller tonight, theoretically opposite Veronica Villaroel, who did sing the performance on the 29th (was anyone there?) Neil […]
Wer ein holdes Weib errungen
La Cieca has just learned that Erika Sunnegardh will sing tomorrow’s Fidelio broadcast, replacing Karita Mattila, who is under the weather.
Talking lady
That Eveready Rabbit of a diva, Montserrat Caballe, is going to camp it up once more at the Vienna State Opera when she makes her role debut as the Duchesse de Krackenthorp (the Ljuba Welitsch part) in Laurent Pelly‘s production of Donizetti’s La Fille du Regiment in April 2007. This production, starring Natalie Dessay and […]
Gli enigmi sono due
Which veteran Met star had his nose buried so deep in his score that he collided clumsily with a chorister at a final rehearsal? The low-voiced divo erupted in threats, but calmed down soon enough when he realized that he was yelling at the AGMA Rep! Which soprano now has a large hole in her […]
Anders als die Anderen
It does La Cieca’s withered old heart good to know that, yes, indeed, the filth just keeps on coming. Here’s a selection from a CD by Peter Anders Jr., who inherited his name (and that’s about it) from his famous father.
Gonna build a mountain…
More photos are in from the Francesca Zambello Rheingold at the WNO. Pictured below: Fasolt and Fafner.
Egli delira
Which star canceled his Met season due to a very “committed” performance… of his own personal Mad Scene?
Nothung on TV
Devotees of Wagner’s Ring and the Fritz Lang Siegfried silent film (not to mention all those Lord of the Rings fanboys) will find at least something to enjoy in the miniseries The Dark Kingdom, beginning tonight on The SciFi Network. Now, La Cieca admits that the bio for the guy who plays Siegfried begins less […]
Share, public
Those of you who are enjoying La Cieca’s video clips, as presented on Google Video and YouTube now can have a copy of your very own. A new web-based service called KeepVid lets you download any video on these sites to your hard drive. (Note that many of these videos are in the .flv format, […]
Tony has died and gone to heaven
Among the extra-musical delights in the New York City Opera’s production of Mark Adamo‘s Lysistrata, definitely front and center is baritone James Bobick, who rocks the role of Kinesias. (He is seen pictured with Jennifer Rivera. Try looking a little up and to the right and you’ll see her.) Mr. Bobick next appears at the […]
Names, names, names, darling!
According to the indispensable Met Futures page, the role of Marie Antoinette in the Met’s 2010 revival of The Ghosts of Versailles will be sung by Angela Gheorghiu! And next season will see the debut of the singer with the best operatic name ever: Nicola Rossi-Giordano.
Meine lippen, sie kuessen so heiss
Leonie Rysanek sings the final scene from Salome in a performance of the Vienna State Opera on tour in Japan (October 2, 1980). Hans Bierer is Herodes and the conductor is Heinrich Hollreiser. (And remember, cher public, if you’re enjoying this content, visit the Amazon Honor System to show your appreciation!)
That ain’t been popular since aught six, dagnab it
First word on Francesca Zambello‘s “American iconography” production of Der Ring des Nibelungen sounds moderately dire. Our top secret mole The Concerned Wagnerian reports from somewhere in the vicinity of the Washington National Opera: “Alberich is panning for gold in a western getup. The Rhinemaidens reveal their gold as a large quilt. Yes, a quilt. […]