It’s not often operagoers leave humming the scenery, but that was the case Monday, when the Met hauled out Riccardo Zandonai’s Francesca da Rimini from the vault.
“I didn’t think anything could be campier than Adriana. But this is nothing but camp. Adriana at least has tunes.”
Vot tsar’ vash!” Here is your Tsar, the 38-year-old Ukranian bass Alexander Tsymbalyuk.
Here’s a chance for you to win two tickets to hear the winners of this year’s Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions in the intimate ambiance of WQXR’s Greene Space.
La Cieca hears that the Met’s 2013-2014 season announcement will be made at approximately 5:00 PM today on the company’s website.
The above showed up on the Met’s website.
The Met’s performance of Don Carlo Friday night was a tragedy, but not for the reason Verdi intended.
Following up on last night’s information dump of the (overdue?) Met season announcement for 2013-2014, La Cieca has obtained a somewhat more detailed rundown.
“One of the things I’m gradually learning as I’m coming up my the 20th anniversary of writing about opera for publication is that you have to be wary about making Pronouncements.”
As with all good myths, certainly all the myths at the heart of Wagner’s operas, the juggling of symbols and archetypes and themes in Parsifal opens the piece to a great variety of interpretations.
Like the hero of Parsifal, who finds the Holy Grail after a lifetime of frustrated wandering, the Met’s audience was finally rewarded for its patience.
A member of the cher public writes La Cieca suggesting that parterre readers attending the first night of the Met’s Parsifal might want to meet and/or greet.
“Teddy Tahu Rhodes, who determined in rehearsals that the role was no longer suitable for his voice.”
The Met took a gamble on a new production of Rigoletto Monday night—but, dramatically at least, the show crapped out.
The stage production of Rigoletto contains very brief partial nudity, which will not be shown in the Live in HD transmission of the opera.”
You know, information wants to be free and all that.
Ah, finally a light begins to break.
In a winter rich with splashy debuts, Friday’s performance of Le Comte Ory introduced a 27-year-old South African charmer who may well be the Met’s next big star.
Today marks the premiere of the Operavore radio show on WQXR.
A wayward bouquet conked Kristine Opolais on her noggin during the ovation Friday night in La Rondine—but that was the only mishap in the Latvian soprano’s spectacular Met debut.
Doubled and redoubled congratulations to Met press director Peter Clark, who tied for the Greater New York Bridge Association Flight B Player of the Year award.
One quick way to warm up: Watching tenor heartthrob Roberto Alagna.
True, Joyce DiDonato’s Mary spat out those fighting words in a tangy chest voice, but it was hard to believe she meant them.
It’s easiest to write reviews when there are soaring triumphs and miserable failures.
Tell us: Filth or dementia?
Hasten thee to feed another quarter of conversation for The Talk of the Town!
×
Sign up for Parterre’s free newsletter.
Exclusive opera reviews, commentary, and top reads
delivered to your email weekly…ish.