Vivian Della Chiesa, “Toscanini’s favorite soprano,” died on Tuesday. She was 94. Della Chiesa is heard in the Trio from I Lombardi with Jan Peerce and Nicola Moscona, conducted by Arturo Toscanini, in a radio concert from January 31, 1943. “Qui posa il fianco… Qual volutta trascorrere”
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“Dancing in the streets exaggerates only a bit. In Dallas, any tears shed over his departure would barely fill a thimble.” Jeremy Gerard sums up the reaction of George Steel‘s departure from Dallas in Bloomberg News.
Gerard “La Môme” Mortier told Le Monde yesterday that he has “no regrets” walking away from the New York City Opera. The wily Belgian impresario added, “But through it all, when there was doubt, I ate it up and spit it out. I faced it all and I stood tall; and did it my way.”…
Since there’s nothing new on Sirius, no HD telecast, or a new Unnatural Acts of Opera tonight, La Cieca thought we might revisit the golden age of two decades ago for a classic performance of The Dentist of Seville. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Yqj8GcTPfhY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
In today’s Dallas Morning News, Scott Cantrell explains how Stephen Costello “steals [an] aging queen’s heart.”
Is there a grassroots “Draft Placido Domingo” movement afoot, or is there genuine hostility to Peter Gelb somewhere in the Met administration? Page Six goes on the rant today, with quotes from a source who is already mourning the demise of that Franco Zeffirelli Tosca, nine months before it’s officially out of the repertoire.
La Cieca wishes her dear, dear, dear friend many happy returns, and reminds her cher public that Charlie’s podcasts (gleaned from his vastissimo collection) are about the best opera you can find anywhere on the web.
La Cieca wants to take this opportunity to offer her best wishes to the 44th President of the United States.
The people have spoken, and so from henceforth George Steel will be known by his, whatchamacallit, you know, his sobriquet, which (per your decree) is “The Man of Steel.” La Cieca thought she should review at least a couple of the biggest challenges facing The Man of Steel as he and the NYCO begin a restoration project…
La Cieca’s dear friend Donald Collup discovers and conflates operatic “oddities” into a popular series of party discs collectively entitled “Shall I Go On?” Here, ahead even of Mr. Collup, La Cieca presents the first notable Oddity of 2009, which was forwarded to your doyenne by a member of the cher public who prefers to…
Before we start our daily Steelathon, La Cieca wants to ask you, cher public: which nickname should your doyenne use in future for the NYCO’s new honcho: “Two-Face” or “The Man of Steel?” Okay, so our first story of the day is an editorial in the New York Times welcoming, well, you know who to…
Well played, Tannengrin: your guess of Lucia di Lammermoor for our most recent Regie quiz was right on the mark. Hunkentenor fanciers among you will be interested to hear that the shirtless stripling in the third photo is Edgardo, in the person of Vittorio Grigolo. La Cieca cannot offer even seminudity in this week’s quiz,…
La Cieca’s nemesis, with the eyes of the world watching, goes on her best behavior. (Well, except for that one note at 2:16, but nobody’s perfect.) Ah, if only this were change we could believe in! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/eg_xFto88bQ” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Dramatic mezzo Ildikó Komlósi and traumatic mess Elizabeth Taylor.
Karita Mattila in the HD telecast of Salome starts here in New York on Channel 13 in ten minutes. DVRs set?
Just because the Met’s production of La rondine is on hiatus at the moment doesn’t mean we have to go without our regular ration of Angela Gheorghiu. Here is The Elusive One herself with jummy Jonas Kaufmann among others in a documentary of last summer’s recording sessions for a new EMI recording of Madama Butterfly.…
Given the probable continued volume of news concerning the New York City Opera, its new General Manager, and the various melodramas thereto, La Cieca will institute a new policy starting today. A single post will serve to anchor all the NYCO news for the day, with updates as needed. This will also help to centralize…
“All that is needed now is for Mr. Steel to get the company back onstage. Even a limited comeback season would be a triumph.” [NYT]
Which American diva now wields so much clout that she can demand (and get!) a flashy new finale to the opera she’s world-premiering — even though the suicide scene is alien to the the spirit (not to mention the letter) of the celebrated source material?
La Cieca tries to be charitable, especially to members of her own gender, but she has come to the conclusion that it is time for Susan Baker to shut the hell up. NYCO’s new General Director has been chosen and is about to take office, and the more Baker yammers, the more she makes George…
Counter Critic reports today that he met George Steel last night and planted his seed.
Today’s the birthday of another great lady of song: Ethel Merman‘s 100th101st! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/Z7VzlCk1NoE” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Metropolitan Opera general manager Peter Gelb warns of a “disaster scenario” unless all staff and unions agree to pay cuts of 10% next season. [via NYT]
The fabulous and funny American mezzo-soprano is 75 today.
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