Monthly Archives: November 2013

10 Questions for Joel Ivany

Posted on November 27, 2013 by barczablog

Joel Ivany’s career seems to be taking off. His work with Against the Grain Theatre here in Toronto is impressive enough, but in addition he directed the recent World premiere of Gavin Bryars chamber opera Marilyn Forever with the Aventa … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Interviews, Opera | Tagged Against the Grain Theatre, Albert Herring, AtG, Aventa Ensemble, Christopher Mokrzewski, Debussy, Edmonton Opera, Figaro's Wedding, Gavin Bryars, Joel Ivany, Korngold, Le Nozze di Figaro, Les Contes D’Hoffmann, Macbeth, Marilyn Forever, Messiah, Minnesota Opera, Miriam Khalil, Nabucco, Pelleas et Melisande, Robert Carsen, Royal Conservatory of Music, The Rape of Lucretia, The Silent Serenade, University of Toronto, Verdi, Western University | 2 Comments

Centre Stage: COC Ensemble Studio Competition Gala

Posted on November 27, 2013 by barczablog

Two years ago the Canadian Opera Company began experimenting with a public singing competition as the final part of the selection process for membership in the Ensemble Studio. In 2011 & 2012 the contests were held in the Richard Bradshaw … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera | Tagged Iain MacNeil, Jean-Philippe Fortier-Lazure, Johannes Debus, Richard Bradshaw Auditorium, Rufus Wainwright | 1 Comment

Guggenheim’s Great Upheaval at the AGO

Posted on November 26, 2013 by barczablog

There’s a moment in Terry Gilliam’s Adventures of Baron Munchausen when Vulcan is pressing carbon into a diamond for his wife Venus, and of course she expresses her gratitude, a moment before handing the thing to a lady in waiting … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Reviews | Tagged Adventures of Baron Munchausen, Ai Weiwei, Art Gallery of Ontario, Branciusi, Cezanne, Chagall, Claude Debussy, David Bowie, Degas, Delaunay, discursive community, Duchamp, Frank Lloyd Wright, Franz Marc, Gaugin, Guggenheim Museum, Kandinsky, Kupka, manifesto, Maurice Denis, Mondrian, Pelleas et Melisande, Picasso, Seurat, Terry Gilliam, The Great Upheaval, Turner, van Gogh, Venus, Vulcan | 3 Comments

Gloriana

Posted on November 25, 2013 by barczablog

It’s such a privilege to see a rare work. Whatever else I might say about the Voicebox/Opera in Concert presentation of Benjamin Britten’s Gloriana on the occasion of the composer’s centennial, I’m thankful for this encounter with the score. This … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Adam Luther, Benjamin Britten, Betty Waynne Allison, Gloriana, Jane Mallet Theatre, Jennifer Ann Sullivan, Opera in Concert, Voicebox | 2 Comments

Needles and Opium

Posted on November 23, 2013 by barczablog

I’ve just come from one of the most absorbing 105 minutes I’ve ever passed in a theatre, thanks to Robert Lepage. I take it on faith (from the program, and from the time on my phone when I came out), … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Bluma Appel Theatre, Canadian Stage, Eonnagata, Ex Machina, Marc Labreche, Needles and Opium, Robert Lepage, Wellesley Robertson III | 6 Comments

JFK: Choose your conspiracy

Posted on November 22, 2013 by barczablog

November 22nd? It’s Saint Cecilia’s Day, the patron saint of music. It’s Benjamin Britten’s birthday, which this year means his centennial. Okay, those are all in the fine print. Written on my psyche since childhood? November 22nd 1963. Every other … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Politics, Popular music & culture, Reviews | Tagged Aaron Copland, Donald Sutherland, Edward Asner, Gary Oldman, Jack Lemmon, JFK, Joe Pesci, John Candy, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, John Williams, Kevin Costner, Oliver Stone, Sissy Spacek, Tommy Lee Jones | 2 Comments

Beatriz Boizán: Pasión

Posted on November 19, 2013 by barczablog

Sometimes artists show two or more sides. The different roles played in a concert hall or in a recording studio bring out different aspects of a creative personality, at least as masks if not as divergent personalities. That’s how I’m … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Alberto Ginastera, Antonio Soler, Beatriz Boizán, Domenico Scarlatti, Ernesto Lecuona, Ignacio Cervantes, Isaac Albeniz, Malagueňa, Pasión | 1 Comment

Esprit /Evergreen: O Gamelan

Posted on November 18, 2013 by barczablog

“O Gamelan” is both José Evangelista’s composition & a handy name for tonight’s program by Esprit Orchestra, suggesting a genuine reverence for the Balinese ensemble of that name. Many of the works on the program employed some or all of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Alex Pauk, Andre Ristic, Chan Ka Nin, Claude Vivier, Douglas Perry, Esprit Orchestra, Evergreen Club Contemporary Gamelan, José Evangelista, Lou Harrison | 3 Comments

Christian Jeffries: The Truth About Xmas

Posted on November 16, 2013 by barczablog

I’ve never fully swallowed the Norman Rockwell images showing big happy families at Christmas, which leaves me much more comfortable coming at Christmas via angst than angels. No wonder I feel as though I’m on the same page with Christian … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Christian Jeffries, Donavan LeNabat | Leave a comment

Civil Rites

Posted on November 12, 2013 by barczablog

It’s quite a bargain, this deal we’ve struck. Any social contract is a trade-off, giving something to get something. Nobody ever thinks about it, this amazing exchange, because it’s almost totally invisible, unless someone shines light on it, as they … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Lester B Pearson, Nobel Prize, Stuart Bull, University of Toronto Schools, UTS | Leave a comment