Monthly Archives: June 2012

Summer

Posted on June 30, 2012 by barczablog

When did music begin to imitate its subject, begin to be ambitious about signifying?  Is Mozart’s gentle rococo tuba mirum (so understated compared to Verdi’s dies irae or Mahler’s resurrection in his 2nd Symphony) an attempt to show us what … Continue reading →

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PREMIERES

Posted on June 28, 2012 by barczablog

Whatever you think of the music on PREMIERES – violinist Conrad Chow’s CD of original musical compositions for violin with different groupings of accompanying instruments— the concept seems to be original. My eyebrows went up when I heard that a … Continue reading →

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Jean Cox

Posted on June 27, 2012 by barczablog

I’ve been thinking about Jean Cox. Cox was a great American heldentenor, who died on Sunday.  By coincidence it’s the same day that Franz Crass passed, and not many weeks after the death of Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau. I am pondering the … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Conrad Chow

Posted on June 20, 2012 by barczablog

Whether performing at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall in New York, or Qingdao Grand Auditorium in China, Canadian violinist Conrad Chow has won over audiences with his interpretations of music from different centuries, continents, … Continue reading →

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Father’s Day

Posted on June 18, 2012 by barczablog

Sunday June 17th was the day I watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (let’s call it ELIC) for a second time.  I’d seen it Friday night, and reviewed it.  I remarked that for me its chief subject was not 9/11, … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Adam Klein

Posted on June 17, 2012 by barczablog

Adam Klein is a man of many guises.  He’s a tenor, singing in many different styles. He’s a composer.  A teacher.  An instrument maker. No wonder Klein seemed to be a natural as Loge in Das Rheingold at the Metropolitan … Continue reading →

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Somewhat soon and partially successful

Posted on June 16, 2012 by barczablog

For those of you accustomed to reading my accolades for singers, artists & pianists it may seem that you’ve stumbled into the wrong page, with a headline like this. Oh my God, he actually says negative things? yes Isn’t that … Continue reading →

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Wonderful Windermere

Posted on June 15, 2012 by barczablog

Given what I’ve said in previous reviews concerning historically informed performance (HIP), you won’t be surprised to find me eagerly eating up a recent release from Windermere String Quartet (Laura Jones -cello, who was so prominent recently in Essential Opera’s  … Continue reading →

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Influential Einstein

Posted on June 10, 2012 by barczablog

Einstein on the Beach has finally come to Toronto, an opera whose importance and influence is out of all proportion to the actual number who saw it.  Einstein’s a perfect example of that crazy 20th century phenomenon, where the idea … Continue reading →

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Beginning the Marathon

Posted on June 9, 2012 by barczablog

I attended the first section of Stewart Goodyear’s “Beethoven Marathon” today at Koerner Hall. I am still trying to wrap my head around this experience, which was in some respects more of a happening than a concert. We were given … Continue reading →

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