The world’s newest cult diva returns! Amira Kamel, first Egyptian ever to sing Aida (it says so on YouTube and so it must be true!) adopts for her “barbaric” drag not only the coiffure, maquillage and plastique of legendary Vera Galupe-Borszkh, but seem to have borrowed one of La Dementia’s caftans as well! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/zl51vG-a1F8″…

By on April 13, 2009 at 3:14 PM
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New Kid on the Plaza Drammy writes: April 9, 2009. A traditional Otto Schenk production featuring Diana Damrau as Gilda and who cares but.. Frizza conducting, Viktoria Vizin as Maddalena, Calleja as the Duke, Frontali as Rigoletto, Aceto as Sparafucile. Stellar performances from the entire cast, excepting poor Mr Frontali. The set was phenomenal –…

By on April 12, 2009 at 11:22 AM
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Grace Moore and Cary Grant swing it in this scene from When You’re in Love (1937).

By on April 11, 2009 at 7:23 PM
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[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/26lm82M7L2Q” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] From The Great Waltz (1938), one of Renée Fleming‘s favorite films!

By on April 07, 2009 at 5:00 PM
35 comments

You can pull the fork out of Madame Vera Galupe-Borszkh, because, believe it or not, she’s still not done. How, you ask, can that be? Well, according to an email received by La Cieca this morning, In the tradition of many great divas who pack it in, only to unpack, Madame Vera emerged from retirement…

By on April 07, 2009 at 10:24 AM
14 comments

First there was Florence Foster Jenkins, and in her wake followed Vassilka Petrova and Sylvia Sawyer. Then came Olive Middleton, and hot upon her sling-back heels Mari Lyn. And then, it seems, the line of high-caliber singing ladies dwindled… until, of course, the recent advent of Angel Taormina. In fact, La Cieca has unearthed the…

By on April 02, 2009 at 10:48 PM
73 comments

At last we know the identity of the eponymous heroine of Rufus Wainwright‘s maiden effort as opera composer.  The aging Prima Donna who is strugging “to regain her status as a top-flight soprano on the world stages” s’appelle Régine Saint Laurent. If ever a name screamed, “cover girl, put the bass in your walk,” surely…

By on March 31, 2009 at 10:59 AM
37 comments

Sempiternal Magda Olivero celebrated her 99th birthday earlier this week.

By on March 27, 2009 at 10:13 AM
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As we wish Joan Crawford a happy 101st (or 105th) birthday, La Cieca asks you to imagine what it might have been (pronounced “bean”) like if Our Lady of the Shoulders had continued her vocal studies with Rosa Ponselle. Not “Joan Crawford Sings Verdi” exactly, but, my goodness, that woman could certainly fill out an…

By on March 23, 2009 at 3:22 PM
42 comments

Renée Fleming, known as “The Beautiful Voice” and “Diva of the Future,” has won a new whaddyacallit, a new, uh, sobriquet. Courtesy of commenter Camille, Ms. Fleming will henceforth be known as “Opera MILF.” (At last night’s 125th Anniversary Gala, La Fleming rocked “a costume based on the one worn by Maria Jeritza for [Die…

By on March 16, 2009 at 1:24 PM
257 comments

Which diva predictably arrived late for rehearsal of her spot on the Met’s 125th Anniversary Gala? I’m sure the tardy singer did not laugh to see that another diva had already launched her comeback by sight-reading the aria from the prompter’s score!

By on March 12, 2009 at 7:54 PM
75 comments

As La Cieca hardly thinks she needs tell you, among the attributes of a prima donna necessary to the success of a performance of Adriana Lecouvreur are morbidezza, il sacro fuoco, voce di petto and of course the ability to wear a turban. And surely you do realize that, sad to say, not everyone can pull off a turban. 

By on March 06, 2009 at 11:31 AM
49 comments

She’s headlined at the Paris Opera and the Met. She’s sung for kings and queens and for Nelson Riddle. She’s provoked feuds with teenagers. But now Dame Kiri te Kanawa has revealed a hitherto undiscovered talent: fighting crime. The mayor of a New Zealand city plays recordings of the Kiwi songbird in order to deter…

By on March 05, 2009 at 9:01 PM
51 comments

[La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Camille attended Montserrat Caballe‘s Valentine’s Day duo recital earlier this month. Her reactions — which she admits it took her some days to sort out in her mind — follow.] After some reflection and reviewing Caballe’s Orange Festival Norma, once again, I can merely pipe up with my opinion…

By on February 26, 2009 at 5:48 PM
33 comments

Those of you who have been fretting about the recent decline in dowdy, badly-coiffed divas who buy their gowns online will be happy to know that Fiorenza Cedolins is bucking the trend. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/CEzNJPYyKX0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]

By on February 23, 2009 at 11:43 AM
42 comments

Let’s talk about chest: theories, recollections, examples, caveats… All about chest, in fact. To start the conversational ball rolling, here’s what some celebrated mid 20th century divas have to say about the subject of chest voice. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/j2hd_2m1qXE” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Chest nut Charlie Handelman has so much to say on “voce di petto”…

By on February 17, 2009 at 2:40 PM
94 comments

Longtime friend of the ‘box Little Stevie returns to Adriana Lecouvreur: I have always believed that as with La Gioconda, a great performance of Adriana Lecouvreur needs to serve up “the four greatest singers in the world”, and the Met seems to come close to doing just that. I have attended all of the performances…

By on February 14, 2009 at 11:42 AM
72 comments

A reminder that La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Dorothy Bishop shakes her little tush on the catwalk of Splash tonight in her new cabaret show, as written and directed by Our Own JJ.

By on February 11, 2009 at 11:28 AM
8 comments

In honor of tomorrow night’s role debut at the Met.

By on February 05, 2009 at 4:13 PM
123 comments

La Cieca’s old, old, old friend Dorothy Bishop returns to her NYC home base, Splash, for an operatic/crossover take on Fashion Week. The rail-thin diva takes the stage consecutive Wednesdays February 11 and 18 at 8:00 PM each night. Both performances feature no cover charge and only minimal cover on Dorothy’s go-go backup dancers.

By on February 05, 2009 at 10:37 AM
7 comments

The glamorous soprano was born 90 years ago today, February 2, 1919. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/hGeCjq3uYX0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]

By on February 02, 2009 at 8:19 PM
30 comments

Your doyenne dusts off her singing pipes and then welcomes a guest from the Great White Way into our luxurious new Sunnyside studios, all as introduction to the third act of Adriana Lecouvreur starring Magda Olivero, on this week’s Unnatural Acts of Opera. Adriana Lecouvreur, Act 3

By on January 25, 2009 at 6:13 PM
11 comments

Heldentenordiva Jon Villars (center, in mohawk) “basically fired himself by walking off the stage” at a public dress rehearsal for the Canadian Opera Company’s production of Fidelio. According to a report in The Globe and Mail, Villars stormed off stage immediately after conductor Gregor Buhl “loudly sang out a few phrases of the tenor’s part”…

By on January 23, 2009 at 5:04 PM
94 comments

Which American diva now wields so much clout that she can demand (and get!) a flashy new finale to the opera she’s world-premiering — even though the suicide scene is alien to the the spirit (not to mention the letter) of the celebrated source material?

By on January 16, 2009 at 4:52 PM
53 comments