“Marcello Giordani is, how can I put this, what Franco Farina would sound like if he weren’t awful.” — My Favorite Intermissions
When Ladies Meet
Posted in contest, mp3, quiz, verdi, youtube on January 30, 2008 by laciecaAnd now, the solution to the “Sleepwalking Scene” quiz.
Three for the Regie
Posted in quiz, regie on January 30, 2008 by laciecaOur Mystery Regie this time presents a standard opera in three acts. So let’s see one image from each act — although each image is from a different production of the work.
Remember, cher public, if you actually recognize the production, hold your tongue and allow others to guess!
Una… due…
Posted in contest, quiz on January 30, 2008 by laciecaThe clock is running out on the great Sleepwalking Scene contest, ladies and gentlemen! With only three hours and change to go, no one has successfully identified all 14 Ladies. Currently leading the pack with 13 correct are MC (not to be confused with Maria Callas) and DS (not to be confused with, uh, Dame Joan Sutherland). Each of these savants, however, stumbled on the mysterious Lady Number Six. Can you guess her identity (along with the other 13, of course), email La Cieca, and win the coveted amazon.com gift certificate?
Tu? Indietro! Fugly!
Posted in camp, drag, festoonery, filth, meine nippen sie küssen so heiß, no gay friends, she's a maneater, with my avoirdupois and my tra la la la la on January 29, 2008 by laciecaA loyal reader calls this little number “the worst gown I’ve ever seen.”
La Cieca she agrees that Mme. Guleghina’s fashion faux pas here just screams, “that was no lady, that was Lady Macbeth.” On the other hand, your doyenne has seen some rather ghastly frocks in her time, and she’s sure, cher public, that you have seen worse. If you have, send a jpg (preferably 350 pixels wide or larger) or a link to lacieca@parterre.com. Let’s dish!
Ferocious!
Posted in bel canto, diva, youtube on January 29, 2008 by laciecaThe unusual and undreamed-of videos just keep popping up on YouTube. Here’s a scene from Norma with Elinor Ross and Mario del Monaco!
No Sleep ‘Til Sunnyside
Posted in contest, diva, mp3, quiz, verdi on January 28, 2008 by laciecaNot a whole lot of news on matters operatic in the past couple of days, so La Cieca has decided a competitive quiz is in order. The clip below is the “Sleepwalking Scene” from Verdi’s Macbeth divided among 14 sopranos and mezzo-sopranos. All you have to do is name the 14 singers in the correct order. (La Cieca has decided to be merciful this time and omit overly obscure singers. Each singer in this clip is or was internationally famous. However, La Cieca cautions you that not all these singers included Lady Macbeth in their onstage repertoire.)
When you believe you know all 14 voices, send your answer to lacieca@parterre.com. First correct answer will receive a gift certificate from amazon.com. Should there be no entry with all 14 correct answers by midnight on Tuesday, January 29, La Cieca will choose randomly among the entries with the highest number of correct answers.
In the meantime, please feel free to discuss and make wild guesses in the comments section.
UPDATE: As of Monday evening, La Cieca has not declared a winner. There is a tie for first place with two entries each naming 13 out of 14 correctly. Interestingly, they both mistake the same Lady. For those of you who might want to do a little more intensive study of the Ladies (and La Cieca doesn’t mean only the lesbians in the audience!), here’s the mp3 to download.
A Star is Reborn
Posted in gay, podcast, youtube on January 28, 2008 by lacieca
That superstar of the podosphere, Miss Frances Gumm, is back after six months of laying fallow. Or is La Cieca thinking of Frank Sinatra? Anyway, one of our absolute favorite online destinations, JudyCast, has returned with its distinctive mélange of entertainment gossip and otherworldy warbling as gaily subversive as ever. (No explanation is given for the hiatus, but La Cieca suspects that the recent TCM screening of the bizarre 1968 flick Skiddoo dislodged whatever was creatively blocking Carol Channing and the other JudyCast partipants.)
Villazón sings again!
Posted in mp3, podcast, villazon on January 28, 2008 by laciecaLa Cieca’s dear friend Ed Rosen (doyen of Premiere Opera) sent along a clip from Rolando Villazón’s first recital since his return to the stage early this month. According to Ed, “He first sings Massenet’s “Ouvre tes yeux,” followed by Tosti’s “Ideale.” Rolando’s voice sounds as beautiful as ever! The recital took place in Barcelona on January 13 of this year.”
While we’re on the subject, do be sure to check out Ed’s always fascinating podcast.
There’s no wrinkle on his brow, no how!
Posted in la cieca ci guarda la cieca ci vede on January 27, 2008 by laciecaLa Cieca has to say she has never taken much interest in the music of John Corigliano; in fact, she believes she used the phrase “Technicolor twaddle” to describe The Ghosts of Versailles. But your doyenne must give credit where credit is due. Boyfriend is looking fucking amazing for a 70-year-old!
Take a look at these two images that accompanied Steve Smith’s NY Times preview of the Brooklyn Philharmonic’s upcoming Corigliano festival:
At left is Corigliano 8 years ago when he won the Academy Award for The Red Violin; at right is a recent photo of the composer. Is it just me, or does he look more refreshed — or shall we just say younger — at 70 than he did at 62?
At this rate, Corigliano will look a dewy 35 by the time the Met revives Ghosts in 2010! Though, come to think of it, collaborating with Angela Gheorghiu has been known to add a crease or two to even the most youthful punim. What a pity if America’s hottest septuagenarian composer should end up looking his age!
