Monthly Archives: October 2013

Live Light in the Piazza

On June 15th 2006, Beverly Sills welcomed the television audience to the Vivian Beaumont Theatre for a live performance of The Light in the Piazza.  Yes, I was busy that night in June 2006, unaware that I should have been … Continue reading

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

O Gamelan

“Press releases and announcements” are presented verbatim without comment. O GAMELAN An exotic evening blending Traditional Indonesian & Modern Western Sounds Sunday, November 17, 2013 at Koerner Hall For Immediate Release: October 30, 2013 – Toronto, ON: On Sunday, November … Continue reading

Posted in Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

R.I.P.

“Requiescat in Pace” is the last line in the third of three operas presented by Opera 5, namely Cecilia Livingston’s The Masque of the Red Death, whereby we had the name for the evening’s program. I wonder if Poe’s story … Continue reading

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

The Italian Lesson

Yesterday I was on the University of Western Ontario campus, attending a special performance of Lee Hoiby’s The Italian Lesson in a production from Diva Lounge Productions.  UWO welcomed back alumnae Sonja Gustafson (soprano & Diva Lounge founder) and Tanya … Continue reading

Posted in Opera, Reviews, University life | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Opera Atelier Abduction from the Seraglio

I had a wonderful time at the dress rehearsal for Opera Atelier’s new Abduction from the Seraglio.  It’s a remount but as usual they probed more deeply this time, accentuating the comic elements of the work.  Anyone who’s seen this … Continue reading

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Symbolic Meatballs II

Cloudy with a chance of Meatballs II continues more or less where the first left off.  The story resumes a short time after the end of the first film, that I saw (and reviewed) just a little while ago.   I … Continue reading

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Reviews | 2 Comments

Ten Questions for Mark Shulgasser

Mark Shulgasser is a librettist especially known for his collaborations with composer Lee Hoiby.  They created several operas together, until Hoiby’s passing in 2011.  One might call Shulgasser a champion for Hoiby’s work, except that I believe Shulgasser is still … Continue reading

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Feral piano: Beatriz Boizán

It’s a truism that some artists are different in live situations than on record.  The presence of an audience can inspire & illuminate a performance in a way that doesn’t happen in a studio. That’s what I experienced tonight.  When … Continue reading

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

COC Peter Grimes

Tonight I saw the Canadian Opera Company production of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes.  I’m late getting to the party for a production that opened on October 5th, but I was out of town that weekend.  Regular readers of newspaper reviews … Continue reading

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

New Music Concerts: David Eagle and the Art of Interactive Electronics

  “Press releases and announcements” are presented verbatim without comment. David Eagle and the Art of Interactive Electronics Friday, November 1 at 8PM at Betty Oliphant Theatre Traditional instruments make music with computers, iPhone and Kinect sensor For Immediate Release … Continue reading

Posted in Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment