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Monthly Archives: October 2018
Maria by Callas at TIFF
Tonight I saw Tom Volf’s 2017 documentary Maria by Callas at TIFF. With the exception of a brief interview with her singing teacher Elvira de Hidalgo, the film is entirely an account of Maria Callas in her own words, that … Continue reading
A Recipe for Resilience: Yiddish Glory
Do you have any DVDs or books or CDs that you use to cheer yourself up or chase away the blues? I’ve had several I relied upon over the years. And I’ve discovered a special new one. I’m very lucky, … Continue reading
Opera Atelier: Actéon and Pygmalion
I saw two baroque operas on the same bill, plus something brand new added. Opera Atelier are presenting Charpentier’s Actéon and Rameau’s Pygmalion at the Elgin Theatre in a program exploring Ovidian tales of transformation, tenor Colin Ainsworth starring in … Continue reading
Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews
Tagged Actéon, Charpentier, Colin Ainsworth, Edwin Huizinga, Elgin Theatre, Meghan Lindsay, Opera Atelier, Pygmalion, Rameau
4 Comments
A closer look at Hadrian
Today was the closing performance of Hadrian, the new opera by Rufus Wainwright and Daniel MacIvor, presented by the Canadian Opera Company at the Four Seasons Centre. After tonight’s display of healthy nearly-naked male bodies in a homosexual love story, … Continue reading
Workshop Ecology
I’ve been tossing and turning, struggling with several questions in my head. I regularly wake up in the night to fine-tune something that I’ve blogged, fixing a wrong spelling, adding wrinkles & nuances. It’s been a turbulent two weeks, as … Continue reading
Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays
Tagged Beothuk, Daniel MacIvor, Danny Elfman, Dean Burry, Hadrian, Jack Skellington, Marion Newman, Michael Hidetoshi Mori, Nightmare before Christmas, Opera Atelier, Opera on the Avalon, Peter Hinton, Rufus Wainwright, Shanawdithit, Tapestry Opera, Tim Burton, William Cormack, Yvette Nolan
3 Comments
Pushing our buttons 2: pornographic musings on Actéon and Venus
Ten days ago I posted something about erotic opera, especially as it pertains to Actéon, an opera that is to be presented again by Opera Atelier beginning Thursday October 25th at the Elgin Theatre. Near the end of that post … Continue reading
Posted in Animals, domestic & wild, Music and musicology, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, University life
Tagged Actéon, Aleksandar Lukac, Alex Dobson, Aphrodite, Charpentier, DH Lawrence, Drama Centre, Hadrian, Jay Lambie, Leopold Sacher-Masoch, Marquis de Sade, Michael Sawarna, Mozart & Salieri, Opera Atelier, Pierre Louÿs, Pushkin, Richard Strauss, Rimsky-korsakov, Rufus Wainwright, Salome, Sarah Gartshore, The Virgin & the Gypsy, Venus in Furs, Wayne Line
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Thomas Søndergård leads the TSO
Tonight was the second of two consecutive concerts of the Toronto Symphony conducted by Danish maestro Thomas Søndergård, a spectacular program devoured by an eager audience showing off the strengths of the orchestra: Thomas Adès: Dances from Powder Her face … Continue reading
Rufus Wainwright’s Hadrian
Tonight I saw the world premiere of Hadrian, an opera commissioned by the Canadian Opera Company with libretto by Daniel MacIvor, music composed by Rufus Wainwright, directed by Peter Hinton and conducted by Johannes Debus. There are some wonderful performances, … Continue reading
Questions for Colin Ainsworth: Actéon and Pygmalion
Tenor Colin Ainsworth is one of the most versatile performers I know. While he regularly stars in period performance he has done lots of new works, including Victor Davies’ The Transit of Venus and Rufus Wainwright’s Prima Donna. He has had … Continue reading
Pushing our buttons: Hadrian, Actéon, Pygmalion and erotic opera
Before there was pornography, there was always opera. Slavoj Zizek spoke of opera as redundant once we had psychiatrists, which is how he explains the decline in opera in the 20th century. But maybe there are other reasons opera wasn’t … Continue reading
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