A Requiem for the Country? A Requiem for the Country?

Michael Steinberg on Riccardo Muti, fascism, and who speaks through the collective voice of the Verdi Requiem.

Putting it together Putting it together

Riccardo Muti’s vision of Aida’s score largely emerged as one of subtlety, musicality, and restraint.

“Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living” “Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living”

Legendary maestro Riccardo Muti has announced his appointment as honorary president of Against Modern Opera Productions.

Evil stage directors reduce humble servant of art to whimpering victim Evil stage directors reduce humble servant of art to whimpering victim

“Non faccio più opere: ho pochi anni da vivere non posso passare tempo a discutere con un idiota che offende la nostra cultura.”

Ottoman and woman Ottoman and woman

“With radiant looks, we shall depart this world,” sing Konstanze and Belmonte near the end of Mozart’s exotic yet charming opera Singspiel Die Entführung aus dem Serail.

Regna tristezza sul destino mio Regna tristezza sul destino mio

Our dear and invaluable Jungfer Marianne Leitmetzerin offers us a new classic this week, a live recording of Anna Netrebko‘s collaboration with Riccardo Muti on Manon Lescaut.

The mane event

“Je les tiens dans les mains, je les tiens dans la bouche… Je les tiens dans le bras, je les mets autour de mon cou… Je n’ouvrirai plus les mains cette nuit!”

Maestro on the mend

Riccardo Muti‘s recent fainting spell that resulted in surgery for a broken jaw was caused by a” heart rhythm disturbance,” say his doctors. The conductor has been fitted with a pacemaker to regulate his heart rate, and is expected to make a full recovery.

Laureate

Lovely, legendary, litigious Dame Kiri te Kanawa is among the distinguished divas and dudes of the lyric stage to be honored at the 2011 edition of The F. Paul Driscoll Awards for Outstanding Achivement in the Field of Excellence. Also tapped: maestro Riccardo Muti, soprano Patricia Racette, bass-baritone Bryn Terfel and tenor Jonas Kaufmann. The…

Hun for all

Since Attila is in the forefront of our thoughts right now, and since the prima of the Met’s production won’t be broadcast, La Cieca thought it would be handy to have a Riccardo Muti performance of the Verdi work as a common point of reference. 

Renaissance man

La Cieca hears whispers from rehearsals of the Met’s eagerly-awaited new production of Attila that maestro Riccardo Muti is somewhat more, shall we say, engaged in the process than your average stick-waver.