David Gockley has accepted Elina Garanca‘s withdrawal for “personal reasons” from San Francisco after discovering a “series of European concerts has been recently announced on Ms. Garanca’s website during the Werther performance schedule.” [La Cieca earlier reported this story as Gockley’s giving “the boot” to Garanca, which was not accurate.]
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.
Although she has made headlines on this side of the Atlantic largely because of her recent dismissal by Franco Zeffirelli from a Roman production of La traviata on the grounds of “physical inadequacy,” Daniela Dessì is a topflight star in Europe. In her native Italy she is arguably the most popular soprano currently active. Over…
Here’s our dear Karita Mattila (left), currently occupied playing Émilie du Châtelet in the eponymous new opera by Kaija Saariaho.
The Met’s premiere production of Verdi’s Attila is terrible. Are you surprised? Attila is like a self-conscious stroll down Rodeo Drive – or even worse, to the Mall of America – reducing an opera about ruthless tyranny brought down by ruthless vengeance to a quaint and insipid fashion show.
That Issac Mizrahi production of A Little Night Music for Opera Theater of St. Louis just got even gay gay gay gay gayer with the announcement of legendary diva Siân Phillips in the role of Madame Armfeldt. Also appearing will be notable non-slouches Amy Irving as Desiree and Ron Raines as Fredrik. [OTSL]
The legendary Russian mezzo-soprano has died after a brief illness. She was 85.
Like Liza Minnelli at the Palace or Nomi Malone in Goddess, Renée Fleming‘s Thaïs is better understood as diva event than Gesamtkunstwerk. It’s an opportunity to watch a star lady do her voodoo in a work that exists largely to showcase her glamour and appeal.
The “Voice of an Angel” was born February 1, 1922.
La Cieca hears that Olga Borodina still has whatever it was she had on Wednesday, and so will have to cancel tonight’s Met performance of Carmen as well.
Legendary diva Raina Kabaivanska, who announced her farewell to opera her two years ago as the Countess in Queen of Spades, has changed her mind. The soprano has accepted the leading role in Nino Rota‘s opera buffa La scuola di guida (The Driving School), as a woman who falls in love with her driving instructor.…
UPDATE: Dessay has “just now” confirmed she will go on for tonight’s performance, which begins in about 15 minutes.
Any article bearing the headline “I am doing this for the public” is sure to catch La Cieca’s attention. All the better when the “this” is a new recording of La traviata starring the exiles of Rome Opera, Daniela Dessì and Fabio Armiliato.
Set the DVR! Tonight on TCM at 8:00 PM: among the campiest of all operatic movie musicals, The Great Waltz, starring that most stratospheric of sopranos, Miliza Korjus!
The American soprano was born 84 years ago today.
There’s lots of coverage in both Italian and English-language media today about how Franco Zeffirelli (sort of) called Daniela Dessì “fat.” La Cieca chose this one because it had the funniest pictures. [The Telegraph]
A Little Night Music at the Walter Kerr last night left me longing for a little more than we were given. Yes, there are some wonderful things about this revival of Stephen Sondheim’s most unabashedly romantic musical – and I’ll get to those in a minute – but the sets and costumes by David Farley…
A tribute to Kennedy Center honoree Grace Bumbry from fellow laureate Aretha Franklin.
Cabaret goddess Ute Lemper appears amidst the intime ambiance of Joe’s Pub in NYC later this week to explore “the world of Berlin Kabarett, the backstreets of Montmartre and Pigalle with the French Chansons Realistes and the fantastic, sensual songs of Argentinian Tango in between Buenos Aires and New York.” Whew, let’s hope she has…
Thrill to double-barreled diva excitement as that most regal of Kennedy Center honorees Grace Bumbry converses with always awesome Anne Midgette! [Washington Post]
“I can tell you honestly, I’m not that passionate anymore about singing and all this stuff, you know?” [New York Observer]
“This is the second of 3 postings to You Tube of a complete video of the curtain calls for … Nina Ananiashvili‘s final performance with ABT at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center in New York….” [YouTube]
So La Cieca can only assume at this point that Franco Zeffirelli wants to spare his family the expense of an elaborate funeral, because he does seem to be going out of his way to alienate not only colleagues but the public as well. Now the legendary stage director has protested the appearance of popular…
A funny thing happened to me yesterday. I was desperate to go to Aprile Millo’s long awaited recital but it simply wasn’t in the budget. La Cieca sent a posting mentioning she would give her extra ticket to the first one who e-mails her. I sent it, I got it, and the rest is history…
Attached you will find the song lineup for last night’s Aprile Millo recital, though as the saying goes, there were some changes to the printed program. The first half went more or less as planned, though after the R. Strauss a man exiting the auditorium tripped and fell in the aisle, hit his head on…
