Monthly Archives: February 2016

Going Home Star: against Babel

Posted on February 29, 2016 by barczablog

I’ve been listening to Christos Hatzis’ score for the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s Going Home Star and by that I mean that it’s constantly playing in my car over the past week. I saw the ballet earlier this month, a creation … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Politics, Popular music & culture, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Questions for James Ledger: Anton Webern and John Lennon come together

Posted on February 28, 2016 by barczablog

When I go to James Ledger’s website his bio begins with “The orchestral music of James Ledger is well known to Australian concert-goers:” which sounds like an admonition to this Canadian, who doesn’t yet know his work. Ledger interests me as a … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Toronto Symphony and the music of change

Posted on February 28, 2016 by barczablog

I will eventually talk about the music performed at tonight’s Toronto Symphony Concert at Roy Thomson Hall but I must first observe a few things that were different. At intermission I met two guys from Richmond Hill named Michael. Yes, … Continue reading →

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April Fundraising Concert

Posted on February 27, 2016 by barczablog

From Vasilisa Atanackovic: ******* I am having a fundraising concert on Saturday, April 2 to raise money for my performance journeys in Italy through to New York. I have been given the lead roles in two musical productions in Sicily this summer with … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

I Am Not An Answer at Cooper Cole Gallery

Posted on February 27, 2016 by barczablog

I suppose it depends on the question… If you were asking “what is art” you could find at least a couple of ways to answer that question at Cooper Cole Gallery. Art is a calling. It’s a business. It offers … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design | 1 Comment

Gábor Maté: When the Body Says No

Posted on February 26, 2016 by barczablog

Dr Gábor Maté keeps turning up in my life. I just published a review of betroffenheit, a hybrid dance-theatre piece at CanStage, a co-production of Kidd Pivot and Electric Company Theatre, and there at the end I mentioned a PTSD … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception | 2 Comments

Last tango in Siviglia

Posted on February 24, 2016 by barczablog

There’s a curious mix of adventure and nostalgia that goes with the annual Canadian Opera Company’s Ensemble Studio performance of one of the season’s operas. After having seen a production with a cast of seasoned professionals, each year we get … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Betroffenheit’s ambitions

Posted on February 21, 2016 by barczablog

I am riding the emotional high of Betroffenheit, a co-creation & co-production of Crystal Pite’s Kidd Pivot and Jonathon Young’s Electric Company Theatre, presented tonight at the Bluma Appel Theatre as part of Canadian Stage’s current season, in a run … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

CASP – The Pilgrim Soul

Posted on February 20, 2016 by barczablog

“The Pilgrim Soul” was the name given to tonight’s collaboration between pianist Emily Hamper and baritone Phillip Addis for Canadian Art Song Project (aka “CASP”). I had assumed that tonight’s program would be more conventional, less experimental than CASP’s last … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

Questions for Christos Hatzis

Posted on February 19, 2016 by barczablog

Christos Hatzis is a Juno award winning composer and professor of composition at the University of Toronto.  I was recently blown away by his score for Going Home Star, the Royal Winnipeg Ballet’s extraordinary piece in response to the Truth … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology, Popular music & culture, Spirituality & Religion, University life | 3 Comments