Happy 68th birthday director and administrator Francesca Zambello
If it is true that there are few respectable ways for people over 40 without small children to celebrate Halloween, a performance of Richard Strauss’ pioneering horror opera Elektra belongs on the short list.
“I think some things should be cast with certain physical types, and the role of Otello is one of them.”
Isn’t it inspiring how deeply Francesca Zambello has sunk her tentacles into the heart of American opera?
Two “major” US companies will present in 2017-2018 what La Cieca cannot help but regard as the worst possible combination of director and material.
Washington National Opera followed up Monday’s lavishly praised Die Walküre with a Siegfried that, if not quite rising to the summit of the previous installment, delivered a musically committed and eminently watchable version of this complicated work.
Happily, this Rheingold, which returned to the Kennedy Center Saturday night to open the first of three complete cycles, has been shorn of its clumsier gestures.
Gala this; gala that; who knew rich people wore clothes so badly?
“The Art House in Provincetown, MA, headed by Mark Cortale, will present Metropolitan Opera Star Deborah Voigt in ‘Voigt Lessons’ created by Terrence McNally, Francesca Zambello and Deborah Voigt, for one night only on August 2 at 6:30 PM.”
Just when you though it was impossible to have any less respect for Francesca Zambello…
Three blocks from the opera house is a terrible time to realize there was homework.
Christine Goerke is the Prima Donna in this scene from Francesca Zambello‘s Glimmerglass production of Ariadne auf Upstate New York, and Did I Mention That the Komponist is a Dyke?
“Superstar soprano Deborah Voigt and powerhouse opera and theater director Francesca Zambello, friends for over 25 years, came to 92Y to talk opera, inspiration, artistry and friendship.”
On Wednesday, April 23rd at 8:15 PM, renowned soprano Deborah Voigt and opera and theater director Francesca Zambello, friends for over twenty-five years, join to discuss opera, inspiration, artistry and friendship.
What, you might ask, could a middle-of-the-road middlebrow stage director add to this monumental chef-d’oeuvre?
June Anderson will make the transition into the “Anne Revere” segment of her career next summer when she sings the role of Elvira Griffiths in Tobias Picker‘s An American Tragedy at the Glimmerglass Festival.
La Cieca would like to take this opportunity to extend kudos to Francesca Zambello and the Glimmerglass Festival on what looks to be their season’s first smash hit: a new production of the classic musical Dreamgirls.
It was dear Oscar Wilde, wasn’t it, who devised that early mot du jour “Good writers borrow; great writers steal”…
Here goes with the End of the Gods and the End of these Ring reviews: Götterdämmerung was more of a mixed bag than the other operas, but still left a powerful impression. This was where Zambello’s choice to steer clear of heavy spectacle was most evident to me. The cost in grandeur was offset by…
The multi-slashed Manuela Hoelterhoff (Bloomberg editrix/spouse to disgruntled New York City Opera intendant manquée Francesca Zambello/grouch emeritus) dipped her goose quill in venom this morning once again to take on her favorite subject, i.e., how NYCO has gone to hell in a handbasket ever since they didn’t hire her girlfriend to run the place.
“Zambello, a busy stage director, should have become director of New York City Opera a few years back but was rejected by a sexist board.” [Lebrecht] On a completely unrelated note, happy birthday Beverly Sills!
Providing continuing proof that at any given time there are only about a dozen opera administrators in the entire universe, the currently restructuring Washingon National Opera has selected as its artistic advisor the otherwise criminally underemployed Francesca Zambello.
From time to time the younger queens ask La Cieca, “Why does all the camp date back decades? Did something happen to camp? Why is there no new camp? Where should we look to find our own 21st century camp? Now La Cieca has an answer for you young queens. Look no further! Camp, with…
Given the choice, I’ll take Hans Neuenfels.
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.
