Dame Kiri te Kanawa‘s cousin (who calls the opera diva “auntie because of the age difference”) is promoting “Australia’s first pole-dancing championships.” 

By on November 14, 2009 at 10:34 AM
8 comments

For no particular reason, La Cieca has been thinking of the duet “E un anatema” from La Gioconda, and for a very particular reason, she’s been thinking of Aprile Millo. Anyway, to get the discussion started for the weekend, cher public, how’d you like to share your favorite performances of this duet, YouTube style, down…

By on November 13, 2009 at 7:41 PM
61 comments

Raina Kabaivanska sings in a film by Patrice Chéreau.

By on November 10, 2009 at 3:58 PM
53 comments

The legendary dramatic soprano was born November 7, 1936.

By on November 07, 2009 at 11:51 AM
77 comments

At this point, Maria Guleghina is still listed as tonight’s Turandot at the Met. Any of the cher public attending this performance are encouraged to share news, reviews and scuttlebutt about what did or did not happen (broad enough for you?) here in the comments section.

By on October 31, 2009 at 3:51 PM
38 comments

The legendary costume designer for film was born October 28, 1897 in Searchlight, Nevada. Miss Head dressed practically everyone in Hollywood, including Helen Traubel, seen after the jump in an outtake from the 1961 comedy The Ladies’ Man.

By on October 28, 2009 at 11:10 AM
55 comments

Which diva, whose performance of the first act is admittedly note-perfect, is making management lose sleep because she’s hasn’t yet attempted the second or third? (Maybe they’re worried she won’t cancel.)

By on October 26, 2009 at 7:59 AM
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I’m sure you’ve all read by now about the “famous Argentine opera diva” (who, by the way, nobody has ever heard of, so she’s not famous; and she doesn’t sing opera, so she’s not an opera diva; and at the rate she’s going, she’s probably going to turn out to be from Bolivia)… but, anyway,…

By on October 23, 2009 at 10:46 AM
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The best way to pay tribute to a legendary Wagner interpreter?  Why, to perform the “Liebestod” as beautifully as Nina Stemme did at the first Birgit Nilsson Prize Award Ceremony just last week. October 13, 2009 More details about The Birgit Nilsson Prize Award Ceremony 2009 are online.

By on October 19, 2009 at 3:28 PM

“I had a reputation that I was not easy to work with… But that was because they knew I was very professional, very correct and always, always successful.” Only one diva could say that and not only get away with it, but make us adore her all the more. [St. Louis Beacon]

By on September 30, 2009 at 9:05 PM
30 comments

And this is so not someone I expected to turn up at the Embassy Ball.

By on September 26, 2009 at 12:58 AM
12 comments

La Cieca feels like she’s supposed to make a joke here, but she can’t — because Anthony Tommasini‘s interview with Barbra Streisand is like… well, you know!

By on September 24, 2009 at 10:00 PM
16 comments

Now, here La Cieca is somewhat confused. The music is obviously from Tannhäuser, but so far as she can tell the scenario for the video is derived from the 1964 Bette Davis vehicle Dead Ringer.

By on September 23, 2009 at 11:08 PM
12 comments

Danielle de Niese has emailed blog A Liberal’s Libretto insisting that she was misquoted on her now-notorious “elephants” one-liner.

By on September 21, 2009 at 4:05 PM
26 comments

Ya are 91 years old today!

By on September 19, 2009 at 10:26 AM
29 comments

What, you ask, is “Kunst?” I’ll tell you what Kunst is. Kunst is appearing on the stage of the Paris Opéra at the age of 53 wearing ballet flats, mom jeans, a Wal-Mart top, and a wig from the Evelyn Lear “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf” wash ‘n’ wear collection. That’s what Kunst is. (Waltraud…

By on September 17, 2009 at 7:59 AM
43 comments

Here’s an entertaining essay in which the author acts as a sort of Netflix queue algorithm for pop music fan who think they might want to dabble in the hard stuff. [Time Out New York]

By on September 15, 2009 at 11:29 PM
18 comments

La Cieca continues her salute to Kennedy Honoree Grace Bumbry with this 1973 documentary. 

By on September 10, 2009 at 7:14 PM
53 comments

Amazing Grace Bumbry has been named as a recipient of the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors. [Clef Notes]

By on September 09, 2009 at 2:29 PM
82 comments

Who but La Cieca’s idol and role model Liz Smith would have the wit (not to mention the balls) to compare Sarah Palin to Maria Callas, complete with quote from Sir Rudolf Bing, plus an offhand allusion to…

By on September 04, 2009 at 11:03 PM
9 comments

All of you who said, “Oh, Kiri te Kanawa could never do Norma” are feeling pretty silly right now, aren’t you? Of course, La Cieca doesn’t mean the Bellini druidess, a role the Kiwi songbird never could have mastered even at the peak of her career, whenever that might have been. No, this Norma is…

By on September 03, 2009 at 11:53 AM
84 comments

[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/goFTDbMyRUs” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The Gran Teatre del Liceu has posted 70 clips from a variety of their opera productions over the last decade or so. Great singing and improbable regie: who could ask for anything more?

By on August 14, 2009 at 8:58 PM
11 comments

According to Variety, Kate Winslet will star in a remake of Mildred Pierce, to be directed by Todd Haynes. Is this, like, the Hurricane Katrina of gay sensibility, or what?  Let’s hope HBO goes for a fuller treatment of the story than the classic 1945 Joan Crawford vehicle, including Veda’s budding career as an opera…

By on August 14, 2009 at 2:03 PM
36 comments

Here’s a glimpse of Marina Poplavskaya in the Willy Decker production of La traviata, coming to the Met in 2010. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/cJSjDBSnnUw” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]

By on August 12, 2009 at 11:02 PM
70 comments