[kml_flashembed movie=”http://www.youtube.com/v/swCCLgzP7Bo” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Here they are, cher public, your Normas. Very special thanks to bodacious Beau for creating both the quiz and the solution! La Cieca received several entries with 10 correct answers, so she’ll announce the winner of the amazon.com gift certificate.
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.
Even among a galaxy of stars, Miss Leontyne Price sheds (how shall I put it?) a special radiance. [kml_flashembed movie=”http://youtube.com/v/-PDa4y4YxVM” width=”425″ height=”350″ wmode=”transparent” /] Miss Price was born on February 10, 1927 and the awards ceremony took place on January 26, 2008. La Cieca leaves the math as an exercise for the reader.
Unfortunately, on this occasion, the text is all too apt. Fiorenza Cossotto in 2007 (!) demonstrates why it is better to quit while you are ahead.
Amazing Anja Silja in one of her bazillion roles: Lady Macbeth. [youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=BI4eYsxtZ8Q]
More years ago than La Cieca would care to say, dear Gertie Dammerung wrote an hilarious parody of the song “Lydia the Tattooed Lady” which La Cieca published in the dimly-remembered print version of parterre box. Time passes. Then, only yesterday, La Cieca received an email from equally dear Hans Lick enclosing an updated version…
Now that Angela Gheorghiu is entering the ranks of “veteran” divas, let’s see how what’s her vocal estate at age 42. (Video is from La Scala in 2007.)
Well, it had to happen sooner or later, and so it did happen, sometime between last night and tonight. La Cieca has decided she’s taking Roberto Alagna‘s side in The Scandale. Yes, yes, La Cieca hears your gasps and snorts of disbelief and contempt, but you know, cher public, La Cieca is, deep in her…
La Cieca hears that tenor Dongwon Shin saved the day at Opera Australia last night (or would that be tomorrow night?) when he jumped in on barely a day’s notice as Calaf in Turandot. And most of that “day” was spent on a plane from Chicago to Sydney! First reports are that the Sydney audience…
Margaret Hamilton stars in the title role of The Licia Albanese Story. (Actually, that is Margaret Hamilton, but the role is that of an eccentric Texas millionairess who hires a high school band to accompany her performance of the national anthem in the Astrodome. It’s the opening scene of Robert Altman‘s 1970 film Brewster McCloud.…
A reader sends La Cieca this YouTube video of the lovely Danielle De Niese in Handel’s Giulio Cesare. The intriguing Bollywood-themed production is by David McVicar.
Elegantly bescarved divas Grace Bumbry and Shirley Verrett (in alphabetical order) “rehearse” scenes from Aida and Norma in preparation for their historic 1983 duo concert.
Undoubtedly the apex of Beverly Sills‘ career: Pigoletto, in collaboration with the Muppets. UPDATE: this is a corrected version with improved sound and an un-dubbed Miss Piggy!)
Curtain call at a recent gala event. (Note, toward the end of the clip, Denyce Graves holding up the bodice of her strapless dress!)
For your Sills-related listening enjoyment today, this collection of Bubblecasts. And here’s Our Beverly singing Zerbinetta — the hard way.(As seen at Beverly Sills Online. From YouTube, Beverly Sills on Video.
Everyone’s favorite new tenor Stephen Costello (whom so many of you have seen and enjoyed on YouTube) may be heard in in the flesh at a free “preview” recital Tuesday, May 23 at 7:30 at the Church of the Blessed Sacrament, 152 W. 71st Street. (He’ll take the program to London for his debut there…
Fiorenza Cossotto, filmed from the wings of La Scala, belting out the Principessa’s aria from Adriana Lecouvreur.
La Cieca’s on vacation this week, but here’s something to watch until she returns.
Yes, the opera is Aida, of course, but is La Cieca the only one who thinks these three should be singing “It’s Raining Men?”
Beloved diva Montserrat Caballe is 73 today!
Those geniuses at YouTube just made the service even more friendly, if you can imagine such a thing. Now La Cieca can insert into a web site a player that includes a choice of 50 different opera videos. You’ll want to bookmark the new Unnatural Acts of Video page.
Those of you who are enjoying La Cieca’s video clips, as presented on Google Video and YouTube now can have a copy of your very own. A new web-based service called KeepVid lets you download any video on these sites to your hard drive. (Note that many of these videos are in the .flv format,…
Well, no, of course, there’s no such thing as too many tenors, but it’s good to know we have so many high male voices around these days. One from the present (Rolando Villazon) and one from the past (Beniamino Gigli) are featured in Ed Rosen’s recently-debuted podcast, and one for the future is parterre favorite…
Do any of you out there ever wonder exactly what it is an “Artistic Administrator” does?
So here we are at the final act of Giordano’s Fedora, and all those nasty little secrets everyone’s been telling throughout the opera are about to be exposed! Marcella Pobbe stars as the mysterious Princess Fedora Romazoff in a performance from the Teatro La Fenice, February 9, 1968. And as a bonus, YouTube video of…
