In honor of National Procrastination Week La Cieca has a challenge for you, the cher public. If you’re anything like your doyenne (and she thinks at least some of you are in most important ways) you possess opera-related media that have been sitting on a shelf or wherever it is you stow your opera-related media […]
La Cieca and her panel of experts were overwhelmed at the level of sheer lexicological cleverness exhibited by so many of the cher public in our More than words can say competition. Of the many brilliant responses, the judges have managed to choose an overall winner (who will receive the promised gift pack) plus several […]
Are you ready for a competition, cher public? Well, get ready to don your lexicographer’s caps, because this one is all about the words.
Congratulations to Rysanekfreak (pictured), contributor of the best top ten list in La Cieca’s Oughty But Nice competition. The ‘Freak’s somewhat meta compilation was entitled The Top Ten Participants I Have Most Enjoyed Reading on Parterre Box During the Last Decade. Rysanekfreak will receive a $100 gift card from amazon.com.
La Cieca welcomes to the editorial desk of parterre.com new correspondents squirrel and Ercole Farnese, who have already begun their blanket coverage of the New York City opera scene.
My post about Nielsen’s Maskarade outraged only a few of you, and inspired a passionate discussion about what works we’d like to see at the New New Met. (Thank you, Hans Lick, for your very complete wish list!) You are each now invited to vote for your three most longed-for revivals or premieres at the […]
They want it. The career. They want it really bad. So we learn from Susan Froemke’s Metropolitan Opera-commissioned documentary about the participants in the final round of the 2007 MetNational Council Auditions, which is out on DVD this month. Our own doyenne reviewed the film when it was screened as an HD theatrical event, and […]
La Cieca knows the cher public will be intrigued to hear that tomorrow night (Monday, November 16), NYC’s downtown classical music venue Le Poisson Rouge will offer a screening of Cecilia Bartoli in a live concert, filmed September 10, 2009. Meanwhile, in honor of this cinematic event, your doyenne is launching a parterre competition for […]
The Random Number Generator has spoken, and from the whopping 442 comments offered during the Turandot Chat, the randomly chosen winner of the Cecilia Bartoli Sacrificium CD is #185, as written by….. Our Own squirrel. Congratulations, to you, o little nut-hoarder, and La Cieca asks that you email her a shipping address where your CD […]
Tonight’s chat during tonight’s season premiere of Turandot from the Met begins at 7:30 pm. Sirius/XM RealNetworks from metopera.org
La Cieca invites the newly reunited cher public to participate in an archeological dig scavenger hunt puzzle quiz promoting the new “Sacrificium” CD from Cecilia Bartoli. Ready to play? Well, first you have to answer this question: Farinelli’s remains were exhumed in 2006 from this cemetery in Bologna? Most of you surely know the answer, […]
First was littoraldrift, but funniest was Krunoslav in our most recent and (as one might say) entry-level Regie quiz, the answer to which was rather too obviously Falstaff. So, on to something more challenging this week, after the jump.
Congratulations to our two winners of the Rosenkavalier essay contest. The lovely rysanekfreak came in first in the “Ja, Ja” division, while Tristram Minstrel was judged the most astute of the many “Nein, Nein” sayers. Our rysanekfreak will be sent the new Decca DVD of the opera starring La Fleming, Sophie Koch, Diana Damrau, Franz […]
In the comments section of this post, you are invited to offer your opinion on why Renée Fleming‘s broadcast performance (as heard tonight, October 13) strikes you as a great portrayal of the Marschallin.
In the comments section of this post, you are invited to offer your opinion on why Renée Fleming‘s broadcast performance (as heard tonight, October 13) strikes you as not a great portrayal of the Marschallin.
Actually, only a single riddle, cher public, but perhaps a baffling one.
She’s been dubbed “The Beautiful Voice,” “America’s Soprano,” “Opera MILF,” “Ney-Ney,” and now “The People’s Diva.” If there’s anything Renée Fleming doesn’t need, it’s another, whaddyacallit, another sobriquet. And yet, La Cieca does not consider need when she’s feeling generous, so she has decided that it is time to create yet one more nickname for […]
La Cieca has to admit that what she thought would be a bang-up notion turned out to be a total damp squib: the “Letter” competition failed to rouse much interest. The sole (albeit very fine) entry follows the jump.
La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Kelly Rinne (who, not so incidentally, masterminded the rescue of parterre.com during the late server unpleasantness) is launching a new show on ClassicalMusicBroadcast.com. The show features new releases of instrumental, vocal, opera and modern classical music, and Kelly is looking for a great name for the show. If you’ve […]
La Cieca is simply beside herself to announce what she is confident will be both the biggest and most exciting parterre box competition of all time. This competition is called “Reading the Letter,” and it will test that most basic of opera queen skills, i.e., pretending to be a soprano. After the jump, La Cieca […]
An opera quiz with the composer who’s been on everyone’s lips lately, Rufus Wainwright. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/svjlK74xZRw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
What a gorgeous performance of “Vissi d’arte!” And was La Cieca surprised when she learned the name of the artist!
Too clever by half you are, méchant public: our most recent quiz revealed itself to you as Lohengrin far sooner than La Cieca had hoped. So, this week, something with a bit more visual flair:
Congratulations to Stephen Llewellyn, grand prize winner of The Omniscient Mussel‘s #operaplot competition, as adjudicated by Danielle De Niese. Stephen’s plot synopsis read: There was a young lady called Fricka Who…who…*snore* “Wake up – it’s over.” It’s good, I just wish it were quicka. La Cieca is particularly impressed with Stephen’s brevity: in fact, at […]
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).
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!
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