Video: Celebrating James Jorden
The parterre team is glad to make available a professionally produced recording of the February 3rd memorial held in honor of parterre box founder James Jorden
our own jj
Celebrating James Jorden on February 3
Members of cher public are reminded that the upcoming celebration of the life and legacy of parterre box founder James Jorden will be held one week from today (February 3) at 2 PM EST in Adler Hall at the Society for Ethical Culture in New York City.
Yes. I remember Aldeburgh–
Born on this day in 1913 composer Benjamin Britten
Queer and dangerous and exciting
Zack Woolfe of The New York Times remembers James Jorden
James Jorden, 1954-2023
The writers of the Box and James’s friends are saddened to announce the death of the inimitable founder of Parterre Box
Mattila, two ways
“I have almost forgotten what it felt like to sit in a velvet seat at the Met, surrounded by people coughing.”
Teen titans
Of the hundreds of opera performances Our Own JJ (not pictured) attended in the 2010s he narrows it down to the ten most glittering highlights.
Out code
Joining the talking and singing heads of Aria Code is Our Own JJ, deconstructing “Mon coeur s’ouvre a ta voix.”
The finale countdown
Our Own JJ catches up with the tail end of the Met season.
An evening in the Sewers
Mean, moody, magnificent Matt Baume (left) hosts a live version of his celebrated podcast The Sewers of Paris this afternoon beginning at 5:00 PM Eastern time.
Heather on the ‘shrill’
Opera originalist Heather MacDonald is at it again, describing Our Own JJ as “New York’s shrillest advocate for revisionist opera productions.”
You’ve got to climb Mount Everest
In this Sunday’s New York Times, Our Own JJ (not pictured except in spirit) examines why Bellini’s Norma should be considered “the Everest of Opera.”
Paul’s campaign
Gregory Spears‘ Paul’s Case is on the way to being commercially recorded.
Mimecraft
Our Own JJ (not pictured) muses on the difficulty of staging Mozart’s greatest opera in his latest piece for the New York Times.
Panache room
“Roberto Alagna has found his most congenial and emotionally moving role yet: Cyrano de Bergerac.”
I got through all of last year, and I’m here
“James Jorden always wanted to direct, but when he first moved to New York the closest he could get to the stage was in a low-paying job sweeping up bobby pins.”
Leading lady
“She not only sang the difficult leading role, she also directed the opera.”
Women beware women
Prototype: Opera/Theatre/Now presented new works in which women were variously gang-raped, eviscerated and executed by firing squad.
The young and the restless
“We want to figure out how to create a nationwide change in how people think opera can be done. \“
Alla pompa che si appresta meco, o schiava, assisterai
The celebrated ‘Triumph’ scene… borders on homoerotic porn.
Incomplete artwork
“He towered over the listless supporting cast like Daniel Day-Lewis guest-starring in a marionette show.”
Same old, same old
“Just as every downtown shopping street in every major American city now features the same familiar retailers’ names, New York City Opera has no particular artistic identity different from, say, Opera Carolina.”
All fall down
La Cieca (pictured) asks, what are your eight (or even 10) can’t-miss opera events for the fall?
People may say I can’t write, but no one can ever say I didn’t write
An aging eccentric—who has for decades occupied a dubious place on the fringes of New York’s musical life—today saw a lifelong dream fulfilled.
I’ll take the fall
The days are getting shorter, but you can keep the prattle going this fall’s Talk of the Town! You will, you can, you must join in the discussion about: Great mezzo soprano performances (October),
Gained in translation (November), Teleport me back to… (December).