Oh goodie! More evidence that the major US opera companies actually don't want people to know that good singers exist in the universe!

Saturday afternoon, soprano Jennifer Wilson received a call from the Lyric Opera of Chicago informing her that she would in fact be covering an ailing Jane Eaglen (shocking!) in that evening's Gotterd?mmerung. Six hours later, she was singing her first Brunnhilde anywhere, ever. By the end of the night it was quite clear that the Wagnerian mantle (or is it pashmina now?) had been passed to a newer, younger, fresher face and voice?one that was evenly produced, mature, and exciting. Sources say that there were hints of Traubel?with the high C and the end of the duet causing some of the audience to gasp audibly.

Our dear matron La Cieca at Parterre kindly scooped all this for us (since the press and management have remained all but gagged on the topic; god forbid Eaglen be dethroned). From yesterday, on her Demented page, La Cieca featured two decent-quality mp3s of the performance?the "Zu neuen taten" (with John Treleaven) and Wilson's "Ho-jo-to-ho." Not surprisingly, by afternoon today, Lyric Opera of Chicago had contacted Parterre, requesting that one of the mp3s be removed from the site. They're not fooling anyone; if the management had an ear and brain lobes half as big as their reputations, they'd bench Eaglen and send the real trooper out there. Ride the hype, LOC! Or at least give Eaglen a heroin addiction!

Luckily, we were able to snag both mp3's in time. You see, ladies and gentlemen, Trrill is a collective of fags and pirates. And since both will always go to any and every extent to secure their booty, we can be trusted to bestow operatic riches to the less fortunate and to those who can't wait five or ten years for the Met to wake up and feature rising stars on its broadcasts. But lest we offend the delicates of LOC, we'll leave it to you to contact us for "more info."