Poison of interest
As our Trove Thursday creator Chris Corwin takes a well-deserved week off, La Cieca brings you one from the vaults.
unnatural acts of opera
The joint was really jumping down in Carnegie Hall
More of the “breakthrough” performance of Montserrat Caballé on April 20, 1965.
Unnatural prologue
La Cieca is actively searching now for a weekly audio or video feature to permanently replace the defunct “Montag Mit Marianne.”
Together again for the first time
From Unnatural Acts of Opera, a duo concert with Shirley Verrett and Grace Bumbry at Carnegie Hall.
The Philadelphia Story
La Cieca thought you, the cher public, might enjoy the return of some classic episodes of Unnatural Acts of Opera.
Se uno squillo intenderà
On this day 100 years ago, tenor Mario del Monaco was born.
Encore! Encore!
For tomorrow afternoon’s chat at La Casa della Cieca, your doyenne offers an unusual double blast from the past.
The return of Unnatural Acts of Opera
After years (or was it months) wandering der Irrnis und der Leiden Pfade, La Cieca has returned to the broadcast booth for another episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera.
The view from Kareol
Poet of the podium Carlos Kleiber leads the final minutes of Tristan und Isolde from the mystic abyss of Bayreuth, circa 1975.
auld lang syne
Today La Cieca prepares to usher in the New Year in the way that has been traditional among her people for thousands of years…
kiss my assyrian
La Cieca is proud to “hostess” a classic performance of Semiramide as performed at La Scala on 17 December 1962. Heading the starry cast are Joan Sutherland (Semiramide), Giulietta Simionato (Arsace), Wladimiro Ganzarolli (Assur) and Gianni Raimondi (Idreno). You can listen to the first act on the Unnatural Acts of Opera page.
magnum “forza”
La Cieca is delighted to present, by special arrangement with VAI, the legendary “New Orleans Forza” as the latest installment of Unnatural Acts of Opera. This live performance was recorded in March of 1953 and stars Zinka Milanov, Mario del Monaco and Leonard Warren. You can hear the first act after the jump.
rondo finale
Antonina (Leyla Gencer) regrets the error of her ways in the third act of Donizetti’s Belisario, the latest episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera.
double dip of donizetti
On tonight’s episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera, we hear the second act of Donizetti’s Belisario. But we won’t hear Leyla Gencer during this act, as her character remains offstage for the duration. However, La Cieca has added an extra act of Donizetti (with la Gencer onstage the whole time!) as bonus. Hear it after […]
the art of bellicose canto
La Cieca presents with pride her latest installment of Unnatural Acts of Opera, the Donizetti rarity Belisario, featuring legendary Leyla Gencer as vengeful Roman matron Antonina.
queen of the pirates
Leyla Gencer: The very name is exotic. She was an artist of Turkish ancestry who, during the 1950s and 60s, held her own despite the presence of Maria Callas, Renata Tebaldi, Renata Scotto, Montserrat Caballe, and Magda Olivero, all of whom shared roles in her repertoire. Ironically, Gencer has a number of important credits attached […]
unnatural birthday to you
In honor of her one-third of a century, La Cieca has at long last returned to the Sunnyside Studios to record not one but two episodes of Unnatural Acts of Opera. Finally, cher public, you can hear the last two acts of a legendary performance of Jenufa from Opera Orchestra of New York, on March […]
one in a mill
At long last, a new episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera, featuring the classic Janacek team of Leonie Rysanek and Gabriela Benackova. Jenufa, Act 1
the sleep cure
La Cieca presents the second act of La sonnambula on Unnatural Acts of Opera. La sonnambula, Act 2 After the act, a taste of Renata Scotto‘s Norma.
sulla tua testa vigili la mia benedizion (ancor!)
La Cieca has managed to pry the keyboard away from Our Own JJ for a moment to remind her cher public that she does, in fact, still exist, in the shadows as it were. Anyway, your doyenne will attend the Broadway revival of Blithe Spirit tonight and will share with you tomorrow a soupcon or […]
the art of the doyenne
La Cieca continues her salute to the diamond birthday of Renata Scotto with a new episode of Unnatural Acts of Opera. The podcast features the first act of La sonnambula as performed at the Teatro la Fenice on May 26, 1961. La sonnambula, act 1 Renata Scotto (Amina), Alfredo Kraus (Elivino), Ivo Vinco (Rodolfo), Rosa […]
so you think you can dance
La Cieca proudly presents the latest Unnatural Act of Opera, a 1974 concert performance of Salome. Salome Narraboth: George Shirley; Jokanaan: Norman Bailey; Salome: Birgit Nilsson; Herodes: Ragnar Ulfung; Herodias: Ruth Hesse; Page: Sandra Walker. Carnegie Hall, New York. December 18, 1974. The Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti.
maestro
Our Own JJ is shown here “wrangling” the dancers for his friend Dorothy Bishop‘s cabaret show last night at Splash. There were supposed to be only two dancers, which is more than enough to fill the very small Splash window ledge of a stage. But three showed up: E.J., Alain and Michele. La Bishop is […]
sex and violets
The Acts grow ever more Unnatural as La Cieca introduces the fourth and final segment of Adriana Lecouvreur. Later in the show, we hear Magda Olivero making a debut at an age when most people are ready to retire! Unnatural Acts of Opera
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).
