anyone can whistle
Glimpses of last night’s Don Carlo prima at La Scala: Stuart Neill in the title role (from parsifalito‘s YouTube channel): [kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/NetDWleBAGU" width="425"...
View Articlea me roberti e il giudice del fischio
Extended clips of the La Scala Don Carlo as telecast on Sunday night — after the jump. And here’s the full set of curtain calls. La Cieca of course has repeatedly said she does not approve of the...
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La Scala Upper West
Everything I need to know about Bizet I learned at a Judy Chicago exhibit in 1996. Brutality against women is pervasive, and society is culpable by permitting it. Such grievances were aired at the...
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Twilight of the god?
René Pape has withdrawn from La Scala’s season-opening new production of Die Walküre, in what was to have been his role debut as Wotan. Vitalij Kowaljow will substitute. Pape is still scheduled to...
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Full of stars
La Scala will announce its 2011-2012 season perhaps as early as tomorrow, but in the meantime La Cieca has discovered that the Milan season will open with a gala new production of Don Giovanni,...
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Mirror, mirror
La Cieca is just back from the HD of Don Giovanni from La Scala: excellent singing through the whole cast, strong conducting (if tending to the slow side) by Daniel Barenboim, and a smart, chic...
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Behind the red curtain
It was indeed a curious sensation making a late morning trek to East 59th Street, a block devoted to showro0ms for bizarre upscale furniture and lighting fixtures, and then to enter a boutique cinema...
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Il le faut, il le faut
“Due to health reasons, Natalie Dessay has withdrawn from the performances of Massenet’s Manon. The role of Manon Lescaut will be sung by Anna Netrebko on 19 and 22 June and by Ermonela Jaho on 25, 29...
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Stairway to paradise
We approach, beloveds, as unto a shrine, for these are no ordinary performances. Nay, for most opera lovers this is the equivalent of a trip to Lourdes, Oberammergau and the Holy See in Rome with...
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Wait… what?
“La Scala has canceled the inaugural ballet of its season because of a strike by the chorus.” [AP]
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Book club
La Cieca hears that the opening night of La Scala’s 2013 season will feature a new production of La traviata starring Diana Damrau and Piotr Beczala, directed by… no, not Franco Zeffirelli, but Dmitri...
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Blonde, bombshell
So we may all be on the same page as we discuss, following the jump is the video of the December 7 Traviata from La Scala.
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Something beyond the normal
The celebrated “lost” issue of parterre box, the queer opera zine (now found, thanks to the avid cataloging of Indiana Loiterer III) features a blow-by-blow account of La Cieca and Dawn Fatale‘s...
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Stairway to heaven
Once again, beloveds, we approach the Milanese shrine that simultaneously attempted to cultivate and destroy the career of Maria Meneghini Callas. This great—nay, some say greatest—oracle of opera...
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Wrong by wrong
The board of La Scala voted today to oust incoming general director Alexander Pereira at the end of his first season amid allegations of a conflict of interest. [AP]
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The incomplete idiot
Intendant Alexander Pereira halts the merry-go-round briefly to discuss Salzburg and La Scala with Zachary Woolfe of the New York Times.
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Giovanna in the dark
From La Scala, starting at 11:00 AM ET Monday, a “Backstage Live” view of the opening night performance of Giovanna d’Arco, conducted by Riccardo Chailly and starring Anna Netrebko, Francesco Meli and...
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The hole truth
Finally the reason for all that screaming at La Scala begins to emerge. It appears that maestro Riccardo Chailly (right) insisted directors Moshe Leiser and Patrice Caurier (not pictured) expunge some...
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Se il destassi… no, peloso!
“The one glitch was a much-publicised fiasco in the bear-pit of Milan’s La Scala, where in 1998 she was booed after her performance in Donzietti’s Lucrezia Borgia. ‘It was tough, especially as I was...
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