La Cieca’s take on the Met’s new productions for 09-10: unless the Mary Zimmerman Armida turns into something very elaborate indeed, it looks like a return to the dreaded “empty box” syndrome of the 1990s. All the new productions are stripped down unit sets, even the Hoffmann. Not that there is anything fundamentally wrong with…
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In the spirit of the equal time for all impresarios, La Cieca will note that both of New York’s operatic honchos will be making public appearances this week. Tomorrow (February 10)the Met’s Peter Gelb will do his annual season announcment pitch to the media, an event La Cieca will liveblog (connectivity permitting) for your information…
The Met’s $25 weekend ticket program this week features Adriana Lecouvreur. Though La Cieca is naturally remaining mum about this revival until Our Own JJ‘s review appears, she’s more than interested to hear what you, the cher public, think. So if you can get into the Friday night performance via the lottery (or any other…
“Anthony Tommasini, the chief classical music critic of The New York Times, is answering questions from readers Feb. 9-13, 2009. Questions may be e-mailed to [email protected].” [NYT]
Congratulations to, well, several of you who recognized that in the previous quiz, the peeling paint on the walls was caused, as so often it is, by the singing of Abigaille in Nabucco. Only one photo this week, but La Cieca offers an amazon.com gift certificate for the wittiest explanation of what the hell is…
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/5ZNQQxFUHw0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] “The Family Pondman sings with the well-known Dutch Opera-singer Margaret Roest on request of our father, study colleague of her, spontaniously the Terzett from I Lombardi…”
Peter Gelb‘s million-dollar salary and the wit and wisdom of George Steel (“Things are tough”) are among the axes ground in Sunday’s Tony Tommasini think piece. [NYT]
La Cieca would like to assure all of you that, though it may sound like it, she is not hosting the Opera Quiz today!
… in the “Tenor-Go-Round” saga at the Metropolitan Opera. (La Cieca was going to say “Musical Tenors,” on the model of “Musical Chairs, but decides not to on the ground it’s an oxymoron. Anyway.) So now, according to a photo from metopera.org, it appears that Edgardo will be sung tomorrow by… … Neil Shicoff. Â
Is it possible that Our Own JJ could ever complain about too much drama at the opera? In his review of Lucia for Gay City News, complain he does!
Which undeniably talented artist (of a race La Cieca affects to despise) had to be shushed repeatedly during a recent Metropolitan Opera performance because he was loudly laughing and dishing what was transpiring onstage? Perhaps this scruffy fellow’s obstreperous behavior can be blamed on his overindulgence in preshow cocktails — the fumes of which, one hears, were…
La Cieca has just heard a very soft whisper that there may be another cast change afoot for tomorrow’s HD telecast of Lucia from the Met.
In honor of tomorrow night’s role debut at the Met.
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Dorothy Bishop returns to her NYC home base, Splash, for an operatic/crossover take on Fashion Week. The rail-thin diva takes the stage consecutive Wednesdays February 11 and 18 at 8:00 PM each night. Both performances feature no cover charge and only minimal cover on Dorothy’s go-go backup dancers.
A member of the cher public reports that a note in the program for tonight’s concert performance of the Der Rosenkavalier in Paris reads: “Renee Fleming wears a dress by John Galliano created specially for the Gala Opening of the Metropolitan Opera on September 22, 2008.”
Piotr Beczala will sing Edgardo in Donizetti’s Lucia di Lammermoor on Saturday, February 7 at 1:00 p.m. for the Met’s broadcast and HD telecast, replacing Rolando Villazón who is ill.
One of La Cieca’s most trusted spies wangled his way into the house last night for the surprise cast change in Lucia di Lammermoor, and here’s his report: Perhaps it is the side benefit of low expectations, but I was not offended by Anna Netrebko‘s performance on Tuesday night. Though certainly not a bel canto…
La Cieca unfortunately has been offweb since just before the announcement was made that Giuseppe Filianoti would be jumping in to tonight’s Met Lucia. (According to the Met’s press release, incidentally, “Mr. Villazón is still scheduled to sing Edgardo on February 7 matinee.”) Anyway, as Providence would have it, La Cieca has one of her…
“He said he knew something was wrong when George Steele stopped answering his questions after their parachute deployed.” [The Press Association]
Dr. Jonathan Miller‘s “keenly awaited” new production of La boheme for the English National Opera has been postponed for two nights due to a blizzard in London. “Having made enemies of virtually every individual in the human race, I have concluded that, at 75, I should move on with my life,” Dr. Miller whinged. “My…
The glamorous soprano was born 90 years ago today, February 2, 1919. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/hGeCjq3uYX0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
In all the hoopla about casting at the Met, everyone seems to have forgotten that today was George Steel‘s inauguration day as General Director of the New York City Opera. Day One: No news.
Props to Sir Morosus who unerringly detected Die Ägyptische Helena in last week’s post-modern imagery. Moving on from post-modern to post-apocalyptic (is such a move can be considered progress), let’s hear some guesses what this opera might be.Â
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