Thoughts on <em>La Forza del destino</em>: influences Thoughts on <em>La Forza del destino</em>: influences

I’ve argued with myself for many years as to which was my favorite opera by Giuseppe Verdi, La forza del destino or Don Carlos. The latter finally won out especially after studying it in depth, but in the long run, it is the music of Forza that I love the most.

È la solita storia del tenore È la solita storia del tenore

While Luciano Pavarotti may have brought opera to the people, once he realized how lucrative it could be, there was a string of promoters who helped him turn all that adoration into cold hard cash.

Fox and friends Fox and friends

Cecilia Bartoli, the revered, ebullient, and unique mezzo-soprano, does not like to fly in airplanes. Yet she managed to journey to St. Petersburg, Russia.

Herbert Breslin 1924-2012 Herbert Breslin 1924-2012

La Cieca has just heard that Herbert Breslin died this morning in Paris.

Tough guy

Joseph Volpe‘s memoir The Toughest Show on Earth (see, La Cieca can get the title right when she wants too) is a book about a working-class kid from Queens who wanted to be Rudolf Bing when he grew up. Or, rather, it’s about a stage carpenter who was bright enough and ambitious enough to do…