It turns out that La Cieca’s fanciful prediction (of what Renée Fleming would wear from the Christian Lacroix collection) was not so far off after all! More images from the Met’s Thaïs after the jump.Â
Tell us: What was the best of 2025?
Parterre Box concludes the thrilling first year of Talk of the Town by inviting your lightning rod opinions on several more categories of operatic argumentation.
Washington National Opera has posted a preview clip of their Lucrezia Borgia (opening on Saturday), and La Cieca predicts they have a hit on their hands. Renée Fleming, though she looks far too young to have a grown son, seems to be singing in a more straighforward and honest way. Hunkentenor Vittorio Grigolo charms even…
For the week of Halloween, La Cieca offers her cher public a particularly SPOOKY competition. First, listen to the composite clip below of various artists singing Ulrica’s aria from Un ballo in maschera. Then, if you think you can identify all 13 singers, do so via email to [email protected]. The first email received with all…
During an intermission at the Metropolitan Opera’s opening night gala (was that only last week?), Susan Graham interviews Ramón Vargas and Renée Fleming. Miss Fleming’s wig, we are told, is made of yak hair, but what’s Susie’s excuse?
As usual when it’s a Fleming Flapper doing the writing, everything is everyone else‘s fault: poor Renée just sort of wanders in off the street and all this stuff keeps happening to her:
Tuesday morning: A further report from Lindoro Almaviva: Over all the night was a success d’estime. It was a Renee worship night and we got just that. I am sure you will be able to talk in better terms about the singing or lack thereof. My impression is that Renee had an “acting” night, as…
Legendary Metropolitan Opera wig mistress Nina Lawson died last week at the age of 82. Above, a sample of Ms. Lawson’s coiffure for Joan Sutherland‘s first Met Norma at the peak of the Big Diva Hair era, circa 1970. [via NYT]
Undaunted by Hurricane Hannah, La Cieca continues her presentation of Lohengrin at Unnatural Acts of Opera. Lohengrin: Jess Thomas Elsa: Claire Watson Telramund: Walter Berry Ortrud: Christa Ludwig Koenig Heinrich: Martti Talvela Heerrufer: Eberhard Waechter Vienna State Opera, Karl Boehm, 1965. Lohengrin Act 2
It seems our lovely Shequida was not what the judges were looking for, not that night, anyway. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/atilzaDBVcg” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Â
Some of the starry roster for the Rudolf Bing Farewell Gala accept the plaudits cher public. Ah, 1972, when opera and hair were at their respective peaks of style! Introducing the cavalcade of curtain calls is La Cieca’s role model Risë Stevens. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/2m6M9rPgAbs” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Christa Ludwig is a one-woman melting pot! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://ca.youtube.com/v/c2Xty48hNaA” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
This photo by Nancy Palmieri for The New York Times illustrates a review of Karol Szymanowski’s King Roger, a production that even Tony Tommasini thought was just too gay. Perhaps the cher public have ideas for an alternative caption for this photo?
Let us put away gloomy thoughts for a while and enjoy the singing, acting, dancing and costume-changing skills of inimitable Anna Moffo. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/DfM4GxzNYWc” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Glamazonian Grace Bumbry reveals her secret origin. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/9F-ewNUS6rU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] More Bumbry palaver and some staged excerpts of her greatest roles (but aren’t they all?) may be found on Coloraturafan2‘s YouTube site.
Thanks to High C’s for this excellent topic suggestion.
[Our Own Gualtier Maldè reports from this afternoon’s dress rehearsal of La Fille du Régiment] The Met has another hit on its hands — though not a totally new one, this production and cast already having triumphed at Covent Garden and the Vienna Staatsoper. Laurent Pelly (who vies with Davide Alagna and Mark Streshinsky as…
Our Own JJ was at the Met last night (and part of this morning) to review Tristan und Isolde for Gay City News. As such he witnessed the rather astonishing series of events that Atomic Wings told you about earlier. La Cieca cannot of course ask JJ to comment on the specifics of the performance…
The previous Regie photo (depicting Toby Spence with wiggy hookers) was from a production of The Rake’s Progress. Okay, so which opera might this be? (If you recognize the photo, cher public, DON’T blurt it out!)
Our Own Sanford reports from this afternoon’s National Council Grand Finals Concert at the Met. First things first: No hunkentenors, but Edward Parks is a barihunk, and Christopher Magiera is almost a barihunk. Now to the important stuff. There were nine singers in the final, and I would say that 10 of them deserved to…
La Cieca is once more available for dancing in the streets and shouting from the housetops for the (admittedly off-topic) reason that the Technicolor musical campfest Torch Song has made its long-awaited debut on DVD. Only in 1953 — with the Red Scare, the threat of nuclear annihilation and the growing threat from televsion bewildering studio exectives —…
Wondrous Wenarto is back and more bloodthirsty than ever. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/f876_Xw-LYA” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The Wenarto interpretation is a worthy addition to the YouTube classics by Montserrat Caballé, Leonie Rysanek, Anja Silja and especially William Zauscher.Â
