Here she is, boys! Here she is, world!
Fiorenza Cossotto, filmed from the wings of La Scala, belting out the Principessa’s aria from Adriana Lecouvreur.
Recent Stories
The long and winding Rodelinda
Point/Counterpoint from the wellsung twins: Jonathan: “Renee Fleming is a disaster as Rodelinda. What the hell is going on? WHY does she sing this rep? It was like one big slur that lasted for four hours. I did not hear one consonant, and there was no sense whatsoever of where one note ended and another […]
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).
Why did the podcast cross the road?
This week’s podcasts feature a reprise performance (the 1977 Turandot starring Luciano Pavarotti, Montserrat Caballe and Leona Mitchell) with all new chatter from La Cieca. In the current episode, she yaks about the Volpe Farewell Gala and poses yet another of “The Enigmas of La Cieca.” It’s all at Unnatural Acts of Opera, of course.
English sung here
Among the highlights of the English National Opera’s 2006-2007 season: Catherine Malfitano as the Kostelnicka in David Alden‘s Cold War era Jenufa, a new David McVicar production of Handel’s Agrippina starring Sarah Connolly and Rebecca Evans, plus the world premiere of the opera Gaddafi, based on the life and career of the “Guide of the […]
Sento, ah, more!
Posted, by some odd coincidence, to a David Daniels discussion board: “Remember, a Baroque opera has the same structure as a hard-core porn film: several minutes of boring dialogue/recitative, and then ten-minute sessions/arias where the stars show off their assets and climax in a spectacular ‘cadenza’.”
Burn and crash
It’s rare to hear dementia and filth within the same minute of music, but, well, it does happen.
I could go on singing ’til the cows come home
La Cieca has just learned the scheduled roster and repertoire for the Volpe Farewell Gala to be performed on Saturday, May 20 (and, if all this music stays in the show, part of May 21 as well.) Deborah Voigt will open the program with special material by Ben Moore, accompanied by Brian Zeger. The first […]
California dreaming
La Cieca, who only yesterday was perpendicular hanging from a cable car, has been annoying San Francisco natives this week by humming the immortal theme song of that city by the bay while strolling her streets. (That’s the Jeanette MacDonald song, not the Tony Bennett number, but that’s not the point here.) Providing a welcome […]
Idomeneo Jacket
La Cieca’s on vacation this week, but here’s something to watch until she returns.
Princess Fire and Music
“Not since Delia Rigal,” comments one of La Cieca’s regular correspondents, referring to the ongoing (not to mention inscrutable) publicity juggernaut for soprano Erika SunnegÃ¥rdh. Now she’s headlining a revised concert program for the Met Orchestra at Carnegie Hall on May 14. According to an “URGENT” press release sent out yesterday, La SunnegÃ¥rdh will be […]
Envelope, please…
La Cieca has just learned that the winner of the 2006 Richard Tucker Award is tenor Lawrence Brownlee. Career Grants will go to Kate Aldrich (mezzo-soprano), Jordan Bisch (bass), Quinn Kelsey (baritone), Dimitri Pittas (tenor) and Gerald Thompson (countertenor). Sarah Tucker Study Grant winners include Stephen Costello, Ann McMahon Quintero and Trever Scheunemann.
"We’re your Verdi Girls"
Yes, the opera is Aida, of course, but is La Cieca the only one who thinks these three should be singing “It’s Raining Men?”
Earring Magic Ben
Oh, it’s been a lot of years since La Cieca’s days in the campy cabal. How long, you ask? So long that she plumb forgot the moment where Lohengrin hands Elsa the Cockring of Remembrance. Dies Horn soll in Gefahr ihm Hilfe schenken,in wildem Kampf dies Schwert ihm Sieg verleiht;doch bei dem Ringe soll er […]
Et je sais votre nom
Which diva is more than a little miffed at Met management at the moment? It seems that a major cast change in her opera was a done deal — even posted on metopera.org — while she waited for a frank — or for any — word from those in charge.
Notte d’orror!
Speaking of Montserrat Caballe and Anna Bolena — well, let’s speak of them in the same sentence. From February 21, 1982, a performance of Donizetti’s masterpiece, starring Montse opposite the loggionisti of La Scala. Blood was left on that stage, and it wasn’t all hers. That’s this time on Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Off with her head tones!
Enrico Stinchelli and Michele Suozzo, the hosts of La barcaccia, are not amused by Edita Gruberova‘s improvements on Donizetti’s score for Anna Bolena. (They call her “Anna Mi Bemollena,” or “Anna E-flat-ena.”)
Return of a classic
What was probably parterre.com’s first experiment in multimedia, now updated:Just Jessye!
Happy Birthday Aprile Millo!
To salute the American spinto soprano, an assortment of podcasts from Ed Rosen, Charles Handelman and yours truly. Just click on the “play” button and turn up your speakers!
Charfreitagszauberin
For Good Friday, a decidedly non-traditional Parsifal Act Two. Renata Scotto sings her only performance ever of Kundry in this April 14, 1995 performance featured on Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Per molts anys, Montserrat!
Beloved diva Montserrat Caballe is 73 today!
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 […]
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.