His mouth is always scandalous
A Pasolini-inspired Tosca at La Monnaie does not quite find the pleasure in the pain.
puccini
Cavalcade of stars
Back-to-back casts in the Metropolitan Opera’s revivals of Madama Butterfly and La traviata offer ample opportunity for soprano-gazing.
Conversation piece
The sonic wizards of the Netherlands at Pentatone have released their latest in the series of Maestro Lawrence Foster’s studio opera recordings. Reunited with his Lisbon forces, the Gulbenkian Orquestra and Coro, for a fresh take on Puccini’s three-hanky weeper.
Going, going, gong
“It’s like your nightmare Tinder date where if the guy doesn’t know the answer he gets his head cut off.”
Dark vittoria
There is a self-effacing quality to Jonas Kaufmann’s concert film An Evening with Puccini.
Hello from the other side
A woman reads from the Bible. There is a dance scene in a tavern. The discovery of blood gives away the protagonist.
Happy Birthday La fanciulla del West
La Cieca’s favorite Puccini opera premiered exactly 100 years ago tonight!
ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone
Just because the Met’s production of La rondine is on hiatus at the moment doesn’t mean we have to go without our regular ration of Angela Gheorghiu. Here is The Elusive One herself with jummy Jonas Kaufmann among others in a documentary of last summer’s recording sessions for a new EMI recording of Madama Butterfly. […]
la cieca has friends too
J’ai un ami, JJ, qui m’a raconté cette mise en scène de La rondine dans Gay City News.
prepackaged pathos
Those of you cher public who ordered and enjoyed Decca’s bargain Wagner box may now be interested in a bargain Puccini edition offered by EMI. The set, Puccini: The Operas, retails for $59.98 (less than four bucks a disc) and includes complete performances of:Â
shabby little shocker
Not Tosca, of course, cher public — La Cieca could never say that about her dear, dear Tosca. But it does seem both shabby and shocking that the combined forces of The New York Philharmonic and Charles Zachary Bornstein, the Philharmonic’s Leonard Bernstein Scholar-in-Residence would not at the very least ask for a retake of […]
super mario
Member of the cher public Max writes: Don’t know if you’ve gotten reports on this yet, but Jonas Kaufmann‘s Cavaradossi at the Royal Opera (May 23) was singing like I haven’t heard since young Domingo (only Domingo never had that kind of ease on top). You could feel the waves of sound from his “Vittoria” […]
sleepless in seattle
Flash phenomenon Izzy Anderson returns with an all-new choice of repertoire, and La Cieca has the exclusive. In fact, your doyenne’s old, old, old friend Wenarto created two variant versions of Izzy’s aria, and La Cieca was hard-pressed (ahem!) to choose between them. True, the take seen below features far better singing, but in the […]
Win a Free Ticket to Opening Night at the Met!
Quinn Kelsey and Lise Davidsen star in the Met's new Macbeth. We're giving away one ticket, so screw your courage to the sticking place and enter now!
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).
