Monthly Archives: December 2012

Gourmet Schnitzel House

Posted on December 28, 2012 by barczablog

My usual procedure is to write as soon as possible.  I try for a report that’s authentic in its immediacy, even as I sometimes admit ignorance on some matters.  Sometimes I may struggle a bit, but I never put myself … Continue reading →

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Tristan und Isolde –Glyndebourne 2007

Posted on December 27, 2012 by barczablog

As Toronto audiences gear up for a new production of Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde they could do worse than to watch a free video feed of the 2007 Glyndebourne production conducted by Jiří Bĕlohlávek (the man originally slated to conduct … Continue reading →

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Messianic

Posted on December 24, 2012 by barczablog

In one of the early essays “On German Music”, Richard Wagner said, comparing the French to the Germans, that Germans “are generally more prone to fall beneath a foreign influence than is good for the preservation of a certain self-dependence.”  … Continue reading →

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Pollyanna’s picks for 2012

Posted on December 23, 2012 by barczablog

This is a look back at 2012 through the rose-coloured glasses of someone who prefers to avoid negativity. Most impressive singer: Jane Archibald.  I’d already been persuaded by her Zerbinetta in the recent COC Ariadne, then I heard her Haydn CD … Continue reading →

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Body Language

Posted on December 22, 2012 by barczablog

I was having a crabby episode this Friday morning. I was running late.  It’s ridiculous to admit. I didn’t have any appointments, but I just had hoped to be downtown already, and everything about the morning seemed to add to … Continue reading →

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Apocalypso

Posted on December 21, 2012 by barczablog

What music accompanies the end of the world?  I suppose it depends whether you’re cowering or celebrating, sitting, dancing or running for cover. I ask ironically, of course, because the whole Mayan thing is silly.  It’s a finite calendar, limited … Continue reading →

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No costume necessary

Posted on December 20, 2012 by barczablog

Tonight I witnessed the first of Tafelmusik’s annual presentations of Händel’s Messiah at Koerner Hall, being presented nightly until the 22nd, followed by the annual singalong Messiah on the afternoon of the 23rd at Massey Hall. The four at Koerner … Continue reading →

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Beatrice Rana – Chopin and Scriabin

Posted on December 19, 2012 by barczablog

When you like a composition, chances are you’ll listen to a recording by a new unfamiliar artist whether or not you’ve heard any fanfare or PR.  And so, when I saw that Beatrice Rana’s debut recording with ATMA Classical was … Continue reading →

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Cohorts

Posted on December 17, 2012 by barczablog

At one time in Ontario there used to be something called “Grade 13”, the last year of high-school before one went on to University.  My online reading tells me that, while there were a few other places where one had … Continue reading →

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Nut Cracking

Posted on December 15, 2012 by barczablog

Life goes on.  The assertion is banal and boring in good times but a comfort the morning after a day of madness.  Parents and grand-parents suddenly recognize blessings they’d forgotten.  So what if our kids aren’t perfect (and who wants … Continue reading →

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