La Cieca extends birthday greetings to one of her favorite redheads . . .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.
La Cieca has heard the sad news that maestro Nicola Rescigno died earlier today in Viterbo, Italy. The Dallas Opera website now has an obituary for the conductor and co-founder of the company. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/4fsOVCnE_WY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Tamerlano didn’t sound any too confident, but the answer to last week’s Regie quiz was indeed Das Liebesverbot, the early Wagner rarity recently revived at Glimmerglass in a staging by Nicholas Muni. (The photos are by Cory Weaver for Glimmerglass Opera.)Â The very male Ryan MacPherson is heard and seen as Luzio in a scene…
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/EDFgtFXfnv0″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/g5K5-dBnIlU” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Nothing tantalizes the diehard opera collector like a new version of Wagner’s mighty tetralogy. So La Cieca is pleased to offer for your consideration “The Copenhagen Ring.”
After decades of acclaim both as a People’s Artist and as an international monstre sacré, what is left for a diva but to join in that hip-hop all the youngsters are doing these days? [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/BgC0jQq_AXI” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
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” /]
Lego Opera returns with an adaptation of Bizet’s Carmen, courtesy of the gifted regisseur BarkingBartok. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/5p9lzLLT4A8″ width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
The grandeur of Unnatural Acts of Opera continues with a podcast of Hamlet by Ambroïse Ambroise Thomas. Hamlet, Act 1 Hamlet: Simon Keenlyside; Claudius: Robert Lloyd; Gertrude: Yvonne Naef; Ophelie: Natalie Dessay; Laerte: Yann Beuron; Le Spectre: Markus Hollop; Marcellus: Edgaras Montvidas; Horatio: Graeme Broadbent; Polonius: Jonathan May; Gravediggers: Darren Jeffery, Matthew Beale. Orchestra of…
A “lost” selection from a 1972 gala. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/2fBoaPF7F6U” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/3mmpcdNNMos” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Thackeray Gnomey has already pointed out this video in the comments, but La Cieca feels with all her heart that it deserves a featured place on this site. Among the subtler pleasures of this cavalcade of visual filth: the expression of stoic acceptance on the face of Waltraud Meier.…
But what could be a more perfect salute to Bastille Day than this celebrated 1989 video of Jessye Norman festooned in the Tricouleur and belting out “La Marseillaise?” Â [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/1QQ2k3UpHwQ” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Glimpsed (left to right) after the Sunday performance of “Viva la Diva”: dancer Ralph Coppola, eponymous diva Dorothy Bishop, audience member Jason Leggett, dancer Eric Thomas, Our Own JJ. “Viva la Diva” is held over for a final performance tonight at the Pillowfight Theatre Festival. Â
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.
Pregnancy certainly seems to agree with Anna Netrebko! [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/TIWw1ls4QwY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Two superstars of the 21st century, Diana Damrau and Juan Diego Flórez, bring exciting new life to a classic of the 19th century, Verdi’s Rigoletto. This new production of the warhorse was heard Saturday night in Dresden. Regie is by Nikolaus Lehnhoff and musical direction is by Fabio Luisi. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/PiyaNoNxOYY” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Your doyenne continues to marvel at the riches preserved on YouTube. A random browse this evening turned up a particularly rare gem: a snippet of Aïda as performed by legendary Romanian divas Virginia Zeani and Elena Cernei. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/NyzITAvcuAk” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /]
Our Own JJ chats with pal Dorothy Bishop about her upcoming cabaret “Viva la Diva.” [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/o_NYvOYmpoI” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] “Viva la Diva” graces the stage of the Zipper Factory Theater on June 29 at 3:00 PM. Online booking is available through OvationTix.
The legendary “Tokyo Traviata,” one of the most often pirated opera videos, has finally been released in an authorized version by VAI. Featuring the golden-age cast of Renata Scotto, Jose Carreras and Sesto Bruscantini, the DVD boasts beautifully restored video and broadcast-quality audio — by far the cleanest version of this telecast La Cieca has…
Speaking of Broadway, David Merrick once said (if La Cieca recalls correctly) that even though Pearl Bailey played Hello, Dolly! for only one season, the legendary diva managed to squeeze in two seasons’ worth of cancellations. A roughly similar situation may be observed at Opera Orchestra of New York, a company that does only three performances…
In general, La Cieca tries to avoid posting two YouTube videos in a row, but she’s making an exception this time around since internet it-boy Izzy Anderson has decided to tackle Mozart. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/gC5aoEhmw3Y” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] The direction is, as always, by the Seattle Svengali, Wenarto.
Well, no, actually. In fact, telegenic divas and divos date back at least half a century. Here are Clara Petrella and Giacinto Prandelli in a 1956 telecast of Manon Lescaut.
The Mary Garden of YouTube is back, and better than ever: [kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/PN3e6_nuORI” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Â
Since French Grand Opera won the poll, La Cieca will show a little extra love for dear old Richard Strauss in the coming weeks. How better to start the alternative festivities than with a clip from Die Frau ohne Schatten featuring the legendary teaming of Inge Borkh, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, Martha Mödl and Ingrid Bjoner? [kml_flashembed…
