What impressed La Cieca at the Caramoor concert of Semiramide on Friday was not so much the quality of the performance (though that was on a solidly high level) but the magnificence of the work itself. This magnificence stands out now in even greater relief after the comparison with Les Huguenots later in the weekend.
La Cieca may have pointed this out before, but it’s worth pointing out again. Is this film clip the ultimate Renée Fleming experience, or what?
La Cieca is dubious about the effectiveness of City Opera’s new advertising campaign.
La Cieca finally finished listening to her review copy of the Beverly Sills reissue Norma last night, a recording she hasn’t heard since, oh, sometime during the disco era. This is first time this recording has appeared on CD, at least in wide release, and naturally going to be of interest to Sills (or Shirley…
La forza del destino from the New Orleans Opera (1953) continues on Unnatural Acts of Opera. Meanwhile, La Cieca comments about all that publicity JJ has been receiving lately.
La Cieca is going to bid farewell to Prima Donna and Rufus Wainwright, for the moment anyway. But before you doyenne actually, you know, goes (i.e., “ma tu ben mio, meco ritorna in pace”) she’s just going to say this: A piece like Prima Donna is exactly the sort of thing (or at least one…
In honor of our current series of Unnatural Acts of Opera featuring La forza del destino, La Cieca presents yet another vocal identification quiz. The aria is “Son giunta… Madre, pietosa Vergine” and your task is to identify the baker’s dozen of divas singing it. Just to shake things up, La Cieca has decided we…
Dear departed Shelley Winters knew a thing or two about the diva experience, and one of her most apt mediations on the topic may be found in her memoirThe Middle of My Century. She was starring in the Broadway production of A Hatful of Rain, and during rehearsals she stumbled on the heavily raked stage,…
La Cieca is delighted to present, by special arrangement with VAI, the legendary “New Orleans Forza” as the latest installment of Unnatural Acts of Opera. This live performance was recorded in March of 1953 and stars Zinka Milanov, Mario del Monaco and Leonard Warren. You can hear the first act after the jump.
Yma Sumac sings Queen of the Night, her way. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/s52AZdm8kVo” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Divine camp from the turn of the century. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/KDJ5X-hdWEM” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
The titian-tressed triller was born 106 years ago today in Philadelphia; appropriately, on Arch Street. Miss MacDonald is heard here in that great, great French grand opera Tsaritsa! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/a1rI8hcBgIw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Yuriy Mynenko represents Ukraine in the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competion — though probably not with this particular selection!
On tonight’s episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera, we hear the second act of Donizetti’s Belisario. But we won’t hear Leyla Gencer during this act, as her character remains offstage for the duration. However, La Cieca has added an extra act of Donizetti (with la Gencer onstage the whole time!) as bonus. Hear it after…
La Cieca hears that Eva Mendes (“Crystal” in the recent horrific remake of The Women) will play Maria Callas in a biopic based on the diva’s life.
Leyla Gencer: The very name is exotic. She was an artist of Turkish ancestry who, during the 1950s and 60s, held her own despite the presence of Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, Montserrat Caballe, and Magda Olivero, all of whom shared roles in her repertoire. Ironically, Gencer has a number of important credits attached…
La Cieca is always impressed when a veteran artist chooses, instead of resting on her considerable laurels, to expand upon her knowledge of the art of song. This is especially true when a true diva chooses to study at the knee of another diva, even though the latter diva is younger in years than the…
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/HaL0jnNgm4E” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] That goddess among divas, Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh, indulges a whim (as divas have been known to do) and returns to grace the stage next week at Symphony Space. Those of you incapable of the hike up to 95th Street may take comfort in the DVD Vera: Life of a…
La Cieca just listened to this new recording of Alcina starring Joyce DiDonato and Maite Beaumont. She’s not going to speak up immediately about her reactions, but will open the floor to discussion. (If you can’t see the amazon mp3 player above, please click here.)
One reason why (in La Cieca’s opinion) the Met’s Ring was long overdue for replacement. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ZbGw3A9Dg-Q” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Following is the schedule for the Sunday afternoon/evening listening/viewing marathon. Chat away in the comments section, cher public!
Something to enjoy during the between Cav/Pag and the 3:00 pm kickoff time for Sonnambulathis afternoon. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/ro6kC07cDn0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
And now, the last installment of the Met’s broadcast Ring: Götterdämmerung. Listen at noon EDT on Sirius, RealNetworks or your favorite internet radio station. Online: the libretto and the vocal score. Discuss. And don’t forget to check out La Cieca’s Amazon Deal of the Day: Hans Knappertsbusch conducts Der Ring Des Nibelungen (Bayreuth 1956), prices…
A sharp-eyed member of the cher public writes: I attended a performance of Damnation of Faust (with a magnificent Polenzani and Ketelsen) in St. Louis this past Saturday night. When I arrived, there was Christine Brewer in the lobby looking quite well. No cane, no walker, no crutches, no limp, no nothing. I walked up…
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
