“In the space of a few words, the leading role in a major new production had been reassigned. But why?”
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“Upon my word,” exclaims La Cieca (pictured at right, in the background), “I could almost swear I see a few empty seats on the other side of theater for the Met’s opening night performance of L’elisir d’amore!”
And finally, we come to the last night of our Ring-watching experience, cher public.
The Met has managed to scrape up enough money (hitting up donors and dipping into its own coffers) to finance the rush ticket program for 2012-13.
So, take a look after the jump and tell La Cieca the two things that are wrong (they’re related) about the cover of the Met’s new Ring DVD/Blu-ray.
The Met’s controversial Ring cycle, directed by Robert Lepage (not pictured) and conducted by TBA (possibly pictured) makes its home video debut on September 11.
For whatever reason (Lack of James Levine? Incompetence of Robert LePage? The economy? Wagner overload?), next season’s Ring cycle at the Met doesn’t seem to be selling.
When Mikhail Gorbachev assumed the mantle of the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union in 1985, a palpable change was felt in the air, from Novosibirsk to East Berlin. Words like glasnost (openness) and perestroika (restructuring) began to replace the gradually outmoded Leninist philosophies that had become warped under Stalin and Andropov.
Karita Mattila is out of all Met performances of Un ballo in maschera next season, replaced by Sondra Radvanovsky.
You can call Robert Lepage many things (and the critics have!), but one thing you cannot call him is “inflexible.”
“Based on journalist feedback,” the Met’s press office has ceased issuing email announcements of cast changes.
On this, the anniversary of her natal day, May 15, La Cieca likes to think back to that moment…
Overture! Light the lights! And what heights you hit indeed, cher public, in La Cieca’s “Gold Standard” competition.
Can a day pass without the New York Times‘ 24/7 coverage of the Met’s Ring getting on yet another of La Cieca’s nerves?
This Billy Budd would have worked better with a stronger set of singers.
Janácek’s Makropulos Case has only chalked up thirteen performances in three previous runs at the Met and will have just five more this season. Try to catch at least one.
“The Met’s new Ring is the most frustrating opera production I have ever had to grapple with.”
La Cieca has just had the news confirmed that Natalie Dessay canceled after Act 1 of La Traviata earlier this evening at the Met.
After an absence of seven seasons, tenor Richard Leech will return to the stage of the Met on April 27 as Albert Gregor in The Makropulos Case.
You’ve heard what it sounded like; now you can see Saturday afternoon’s HD of La traviata, thanks to YouTube.
Brian Kellow‘s “Coda” piece in the current Opera News, summarized: “I’m so cranky that even namedropping has lost its thrill.” (Photo: Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)
Zachary Woolfe went to Las Vegas and all we got was a thoughtful analysis of why Robert Lepage was never a good fit for the Ring.
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pb—with our friends at Carnegie Hall—is giving away two tickets to PB’s December concert. Enter now!
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