The skills to pay the bills
The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra has accepted a deal to receive bridge pay in return for returning to the bargaining table.
Breaking
Put a ‘Ring’ on it
The eventually reopened Metropolitan Opera promises a swift return to its status quo ante as a farm team for the English National Opera, sharing the London company’s new Ring cycle directed by vieillard terrible Richard Jones.
Remote control
The Met Orchestra will stream a concert including the virtual participation of Angela Gheorghiu live from Bucharest.
Lockout!
The Met is instituting a lockout of its Local One–represented employees (stagehands), effective at midnight tonight.
Sonya or later
“The Met Stars Live in Concert performance featuring soprano Sonya Yoncheva, which was rescheduled for this Saturday, November 28, has now been moved to Saturday, February 27, 2021, as Ms. Yoncheva is still ill (with a non-Covid illness).” Thus speaks the Met’s press department.
Monster recital sacré
“Pèlerin Deslieux had arrived to escort her to Carnegie Hall. They would walk over together. ‘There’s a queue from here to there!’ he told her.”
Take the money and run
The Met settled with disgraced former music director James Levine for a cool $3.5 million.
Infection
Tonight’s performance of Don Carlo at the Bolshoi Opera has been canceled because bass Ildar Abdrazakov has tested positive for COVID-19.
The end of Columbia Artists
La Cieca has heard that Columbia Artists Management Inc. will cease operations on Monday, August 31.
NYCO, yet again?
New York City Opera (remember them?) have announced a program for spring 2021, with repertoire consistent with the company’s recent policy of equal-opportunity pandering.
It started in Naples
The Teatro San Carlo di Napoli’s lavish outdoor concert series continues with Aida featuring Jonas Kaufmann and Anita Rachvelishvili.
Never can say goodbye
James Levine is back, or at least is scheduled to be back!
Dark and darker
San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago have announced the cancellation of their respective 2020 fall seasons.
Bad news bared
The Metropolitan Opera is heading for a very rocky couple of years.
Met postpones opening to December 31
The Metropolitan Opera announced today that the company has made the difficult decision to cancel the first few months of its 2020–21 season, based on current information regarding the ongoing health crisis. The new season is now scheduled to begin on December 31, 2020, with a special gala performance, the details of which will be shared at a later date.
A Skype full of stars
The Metropolitan Opera announced plans today to live-stream what it is billing as an “At-Home Gala” on Saturday, April 25, at 1pm EDT, featuring performances by many of the company’s most prominent artists, live from their own quarantines around the world.
Met cancels remainder of season
Because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Metropolitan Opera announced today that the company has canceled the remainder of the 2019–20 season, which was to have ended on May 9, 2020.
Met, Carnegie, NYP, Broadway shut down
The Metropolitan Opera and other venues have announced they will cancel performances as a precautionary measure against COVID-19.
Shut it down!
It’s time for New York City to close down large-scale public gatherings, including Broadway theater and opera.
Princess of the posse
La Cieca hears that the centerpiece of the 2021 Salzburg Easter Festival will be a new production of Turandot conducted by Christian Thielemann (not pictured) .
Met imposes quarantine
La Cieca has obtained a letter from the Met’s Assistant General Manager, Artistic informing artists arriving in New York from certain high-risk areas they are subject to a two-week quarantine before rehearsing or performing.
Was ist’s mit den ewigen Göttern?
Christine Goerke‘s Bayreuth debut has been canceled.
I’m your captain
“Evgeny Nikitin will sing the Dutchman in all performances of the Met’s new production of Wagner’s Der Fliegende Holländer, replacing Sir Bryn Terfel, who withdraw last week due to ankle surgery.”
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).
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
