The world is your cloister The world is your cloister

The 2020 Glyndebourne Festival features the company’s first production ever of Poulenc’s Dialogues des Carmélites, in a production directed by Barrie Kosky and starring Danielle de Niese.

The implausible dream The implausible dream

[via Twitter]

Noblesse her heart Noblesse her heart

“Being a wife, being a mother, entertaining in the summer, doing the pheasant shoots in the winter.”

Dangerous liaisons Dangerous liaisons

There was a certain frisson in the air entering Chicago Lyric Opera last night, and not just in anticipation of attending the world premiere of a new work by Jimmy Lopez (music) and Nilo Cruz (libretto), Bel Canto

If you wanna grind it wait till you refined it If you wanna grind it wait till you refined it

Here Danielle de Niese throws an ecdysiastical twist into a medley from The Sound of Music.

Top hatters Top hatters

Christopher Alden‘s production of Handel’s Partenope is so erudite and theatrically audacious and also such a rollicking ride, it’s hard to believe it isn’t crap.

The beautiful rooms are empty The beautiful rooms are empty

It appears that Mariame Clément’s conception of Don Pasquale is that the opera should be retitled Malatesta.

West side, east side West side, east side

Recently, opera showed up at both Mets, the Metropolitan Opera and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Danielle fires back Danielle fires back

The leading lady of the Bayerische Staatsoper’s production of La Calisto has taken to the Twitters to respond to the recent discussion of her comments about Miley Cyrus.

And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you

Alluring soprano star Danielle de Niese, wife of Glyndebourne Opera boss Gus Christie, had that sinking feeling when she arrived for a performance at the Arts Club in Mayfair—and discovered her glamorous gowns were missing!

Lady of the house Lady of the house

How’s about a little light summer chat Tuesday afternoon starting at 2:15 EDT, when parterre fave Danielle de Niese headlines Don Pasquale, webcast live from the Glyndebourne Festival?

Driving Miss Dessay Driving Miss Dessay

Always front and center with a vote of confidence, Peter Gelb told the New York Times, “Natalie is one of the great artists, but she also is somewhat fragile.”

Nile, be seeing you Nile, be seeing you

Danielle de Niese will sing the role of Cleopatra in this evening’s performance of Handel’s Giulio Cesare, replacing Natalie Dessay, who is ill.”

Our retrospection will now be all to the future Our retrospection will now be all to the future

La Cieca predicts you won’t be seeing any puritans at the Met next season, except of course for the ones who slouch around during intermission hissing, “You call that a trill?”

How tweet the sound How tweet the sound

“I will be on #Broadway again!”

Your feelings about the new Opus Arte DVD of Handel’s Acis and Galatea will have a lot to do with your tolerance for gentle whimsy. As a cultural consumer who tends to gravitate toward the more high-octane, Italianate drama of a Verdi overture or a Real Housewives of New Jersey hair-pull, I do my best…

“What people don’t know, what people who spend time sort of, like, gossiping about a role might not know, is that, I mean, once you get onto the audition stage, you are just like everybody else; it’s what you do vocally and what you do as an artist that gets you the job or not.……