Monthly Archives: July 2018

Oxymoronic Gould Transcriptions

Posted on July 29, 2018 by barczablog

It seems like a lifetime ago, back when Glenn Gould was still alive. I’d first learned of him in my childhood as the one who showed us a new approach to Bach, a famous performer who had then abandoned live … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Music minus one

Posted on July 28, 2018 by barczablog

I write a lot about transcriptions possibly because they’re so much fun. Sometimes I can manage to play them, sometimes they’re too difficult but still fascinating to explore.  One plays a piano piece while imagining an original from another context, … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

L’Histoire du Toronto Summer Music

Posted on July 20, 2018 by barczablog

It was all there tonight, on the stage of Koerner Hall. Sometimes concerts are microcosms that allow you to see and grasp everything in one lucid moment. It’s the second year of Jonathan Crow’s tenure as Artistic Director of the … Continue reading →

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

Unforced Tears of Exile

Posted on July 17, 2018 by barczablog

Toronto Summer Music Festival’s theme for 2018 is “Reflections of Wartime”, in the centennial of the last year of World War I.  Tonight was my first concert, a presentation titled “Tears of Exile”, a program by Studio de musique ancienne … Continue reading →

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Demoralization as a tactic

Posted on July 14, 2018 by barczablog

Don’t lose heart. But do you ever wonder whether someone might be deliberately trying to wear you down, demoralize you, persuade you to give up? I know that as a persistent CBC listener & CNN watcher, as a voracious consumer … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays, Politics, Popular music & culture | Tagged | 3 Comments

Parsifal Bayerische Staatsoper 2018

Posted on July 10, 2018 by barczablog

As a Canadian I regularly see pleasant but undistinguished productions that are enjoyable for some aspects, while leaving me unsatisfied overall. The performance of Parsifal that I watched tonight live-streamed from the Bavarian State Opera, sung and played with such … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

1960 Les Troyens

Posted on July 5, 2018 by barczablog

It’s a testament to what might have been, this CD I’m reviewing, a relic to be sure.  In 1960 the stars didn’t quite align, wouldn’t permit the recording that was intended, Sir Thomas Beecham engaged to conduct Hector Berlioz’s mammoth … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

A conversation with psychic Anastasia (Stacey) Agouros

Posted on July 4, 2018 by barczablog

I begin a bit differently on this occasion. I will speak about metaphysics & my beliefs. While I grew up infatuated with science, Hamlet put it nicely when he said There are more things in heaven and earth, Horatio, Than … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment