Duel role
It’s Saturday afternoon, which of course means only one thing, the parterre chat, which today will be focused on Verdi’s Il trovatore, starring, in the demanding dual roles of Leonora and Conte di Luna, Joyce DiDonato.
contest
Dinged victory
La Cieca realized suddenly yesterday she had two contests to get up to date, so she organized her crack panel of experts (or is that “her panel of crack experts?”) to adjudicate, decide, confer, converse and otherwise hobnob with our brother wizards. The upshot of which is: we have two winners!
It Came from Beyond the Ramparts of Seville
The first opera film to be presented in 3D, Carmen , shows up on screens worldwide (and in New York City, too) on March 3. And some lucky member of the cher public will have the opportunity to view this milestone in cinematic opera, as the guest of La Cieca! Details after the jump.
Your funny valentine
Faithful reader Sadie Salome writes, “Don’t know if you saw last night’s marketing email from the Met promoting their Valentine’s Day e-card website: “This Valentine’s day fall in love at the Met Opera.” Well, I did not like their schmaltzy selection of cards, so I made some of my own from my favorite romantic opera […]
Kunstwerk almost gesamt
La Cieca reminds the cher public that today is the final day of the Bühnenweihfestspielkrieg competition, with the first prize a sparking new copy of the complete Ring cycle on DVD! Put on your thinking tarnhelms and comment!
Nevica!
What better omen for the an opening night of La fanciulla del West than the first snow of the season here in New York City?
Battle of the bulge
Inspired by Our Own Camille (not pictured, obviously), La Cieca proposes a new competition in honor of the Met’s coming revival of La fanciulla del West. Your challenge: share with us the most suggestive double-entendre line in a published synopsis or review of Puccini’s opera.
“I did it for me!”
With all due respect to Opinionated Neophyte‘s succinct but horrific suggestion, La Cieca has decided that the palm for post-publicist harebrainery should go to SF Guy‘s fully realized scenario of media synergy, with its characteristic whiff of “why not me” acting out. Congratulations, SF Guy!
Feeling gay, reckless too!
On the way to the OONY comeback concert at Carnegie Hall last night, La Cieca ran into an old, old, old and utterly anonymous friend who had recently had a tête-à-tête with an associate of that publicist who recently parted ways with that celebrated Opera MILF. Well!
Ite sul colle, o parterriani
La Cieca (pictured) can hardly muster a messa di voce after the overwhelming torrent of entries in the “You Can Ring My Bel Canto” competition, but after hours of careful consideration and hobnobbing with my fellow doyennes, I have finally come do a decision as to who should be considered a prima inter pares.
You can ring my bel canto
Since last night marked the debut of history’s newest and perkiest interpreter of the role of Norma, and (more to the point) since Bellini’s druid priestess will grace the woods of Katonah, NY during the month of July, La Cieca thought it would be exciting to organize a YouTube competition on the theme of bel […]
Chad, no longer hanging
Congratulations to SF Guy (pictured), for his winning entry in the “Tout gai!” competition. A copy of the newly-released DVD The Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center is currently winging its way City by the Bay-ward.
Gaîté Parterrienne
Congratulations to the many, many of the cher public (pictured above) who really outgayed themselves (if such a thing is possible) with their vigorous and multiple entries in the “Tout gai!” video competition. The results of these perverse efforts can best be summed up in the phrase “gayer than eight guys fucking nine guys,” which […]
Tout gai!
In honor of the 40th anniversary of Gay Pride (the 40th official anniversary, anyway) coming up this weekend, La Cieca proposes this week’s YouTube contest theme: “Tout gai!”
It’s Done!
La Cieca congratulates winner Stevey (not pictured) for his masterful curatorial efforts in the “Now That’s How It’s Done” challenge, and the DVD of the Metropolitan Opera Gala 1991: 25th Anniversary at Lincoln Center will soon wing its way Steveyward.
Now, that’s how it’s done!
La Cieca proposes a new weekly competition: she provides the theme, you provide the examples. This week: “Now, that’s how it’s done!”
Darkest before the dawn
The greatest week in the history of show business begins today in preparation for the Drop of That Album here in the USA, at this writing barely 15 hours away. In support of this release, Renée Fleming is making a whirlwind tour of personal appearances, including a command performance last night before President and Mrs. […]
Lip service
With barely a month (!) remaining before La Fleming’s Hope drops, your doyenne has determined that we (meaning you, the cher public) should do our (i.e., your) utmost to mark this turning point in the history of music.
Here comes the Jonas!
La Cieca’s delight at the success of her colleague The Omniscient Mussel is equaled only by her bitter envy for the success of her colleague The Omniscient Mussel. TOM, you see, has built upon the success of last year’s #operaplot competition by signing up a slew of new opera houses to offer prize packages for […]
Tweet smell of success
It’s the return of the Twitter Operaplot Competition! [The Omniscient Mussel]
Only in New York, cher public
Well, you know, sometimes it’s not easy being a benefactress. Would you believe that both winners and the runner-up in yesterday’s Zauberflöte contest all live in Nova Scotia and Irkutsk and places like that and so are not able to accept the tickets to Inner Voices playing here in the city. So, round two, after […]
Dies Chat ist bezaubernd schön
La Cieca (not pictured) welcomes her cher public to a second week in good old Egypt with this afternoon’s broadcast of Die Zauberflöte. She is delighted to announce that during this afternoon’s chat she will give away tickets to the fascinating new musical theater program Inner Voices which includes that mini-opera Whida Peru: Resurrection Tangle that Valmont […]
In endless waiting rooms
The wait is over, cher public, and your doyenne’s blue-ribbon panel has selected the perkiest procrastinator of the pack, jatm2063 for his account of a delayed encounter with Sylvia Sass. Congratulations, jatm!
Nag, nag, nag
La Cieca would like to give the cher public a little nudge in the way of a reminder that the procrastination competition will be closed at midnight tonight. So what are you waiting for? (Remember, only comments to the original posting will be considered!)
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!
