Monthly Archives: May 2026

Last Werther to end an era

Posted on May 25, 2026 by barczablog

The matinee of Werther Saturday May 23rd to end the current Canadian Opera Company Spring Season was not without a bit of ceremony. At the end of the curtain call, Music Director Johannes Debus brought out a microphone and began … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged Alex Hetherington, Alexander Hajek, Andreas Schager, Canadian, Canadian Opera Company, Christine Goerke, Crow's Theatre, David Ferguson, Douglas Stewart, Ernesto Ramirez, Holly Chaplin, Ian Derrer, Jules Massenet, Krisztina Szabo, Mandle Phil, Mark Rogers, Michael Colvin, Michael Patrick Albano, Paolo Santalucia, Robert Lepage, Robert Pomakov, Russell Thomas, Stefan Vinke, Victoria Karkacheva | 2 Comments

Mandle Philharmonic plays Mahler 2nd

Posted on May 23, 2026 by barczablog

I have to make comparisons. Even the most sympathetic critic observes and then contextualizes, by framing those observations in comparison to others. On Friday May 22nd Mandle Cheung conducted his orchestra, the Mandle Philharmonic, in a performance of Gustav Mahler’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Alex Hetherington, Astrid Varnay, Billy Bishop, Bruno Walter, Carl Morey, classical-music, FIFA, George Weston Recital Hall, Gustav Mahler, Herbert von Karajan, Lesley Bouza, Mandle Cheung, Mandle Phil, Mandle Philharmonic, music, Neil Crory, orchestra, Otto Klemperer, RBC Amphitheatre, Resurrection Symphony, Toronto Symphony, TSO, Urlicht | 3 Comments

Multidimensional Michael Patrick Albano: an interview

Posted on May 20, 2026 by barczablog

Michael Patrick Albano is Associate Professor Emeritus with the Faculty of Music, University of Toronto, where you can see his bio and this photo: but that only tells you part of the story. Michael is resident Stage Director of the … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera, University life | Tagged Canadian Children's Opera Company, Canadian Opera Company, Cecilia Livingston, Constance Fisher Craig, Fall River, Herman Geiger-Torel, Macmillan Theatre, Michael Patrick Albano, Sandra Horst, Tapestry Opera, the legend of Lizzie Borden, University of Toronto, writing | 2 Comments

Five composers in two days? If it’s Sunday it must be bel canto romance

Posted on May 19, 2026 by barczablog

I feel like an operatic sausage. I’m stuffed a lot into this post, having jammed too much opera into my head in a brief period of time. Talk about contrast! Saturday was the closing performance of the Lepage Bluebeard-Erwartung double … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Reviews | Tagged Ernesto Ramirez, Gaetano Donizetti, Giacomo Puccini, Giuseppe Verdi, Holly Chaplin, I capuletti e Montecchi, Joel Ricci, L'elisir d'amore, La boheme, La Traviata, Macbeth, Mamma Mia, Narmina Afandiyeva, Opera by Request, Robert Lepage | 2 Comments

Co-existing worlds of Epic Wagnerian Toronto Symphony

Posted on May 15, 2026 by barczablog

Thursday night the Toronto Symphony showed us they could blend Western & non-Western cultural traditions. When Gustavo Gimeno spoke in his program note of the imminent arrival of thousands from abroad into our city for the FIFA matches, he spoke … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Abel Selaocoe, Bernard Herrmann, classical-music, Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Gustavo Gimeno, improvisation, Jessie Montgomery, Lorin Maazel, Richard Wagner, Ring Without Words, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto Symphony | Leave a comment

Interviewing Don Giovanni’s women

Posted on May 13, 2026 by barczablog

On May 22nd the new Benevolence Opera Project, who present opera both as entertainment and as a platform for social engagement collaborate with Redwood Theatre to present Don Giovanni in a benefit supporting Redwood Women’s Shelter. I asked Holly Chaplin … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged #metoo, Alexander Hajek, Andrew Tees, Benevolence Opera Project, Brahm Goldhamer, Cameron Mazzei, Don Giovanni, Donna Anna, Donna Elvira, Holly Chaplin, James Coole-Stevenson, Kathryn Rose Johnston, Lorenzo Da Ponte, Luke Noftall, Mary Ferrari, music, Redwood Theatre, Redwood Women’s Shelter, Ryan Hofman, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Zerlina | Leave a comment

Witnessing the birth of romanticism with young Werther

Posted on May 10, 2026 by barczablog

Excuse me as I gush. I love the new Canadian Opera Company production of Werther, featuring some of the best singing we’ve heard in years. I want people to come see this opera, so that the COC decides to do … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Opera, Reviews | Tagged Alain Coulombe, Alain Gauthier, Ann Cooper Gay, Ben Wallace, Canadian Opera Company, Emma Pennell, Four Seasons Centre, Johannes Debus, Jules Massenet, Kenneth Baker, Michael Colvin, Robert Pomakov, Russell Thomas, stuart hamilton, Victoria Karkacheva | 4 Comments

Symbolist cicadas probing underneath

Posted on May 8, 2026 by barczablog

If you think the headline is cryptic, you should see the play. I saw the World Premiere of cicadas, a new work that I understand as an elaboration upon a radio play, a Tarragon Theatre and NAC English Theatre Co-Production … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Chris Thornborrow, David Yee, Ellora Patnaik, Family Compact, fu-Gen Theatre, John Strachan, Monica Dottor, NAC English Theatre, Nina Lee Aquino, Real Estate, Ryan Hollyman, Symbolist, Tarragon Theatre, Trinity Bellwoods, Trinity College | Leave a comment

Ernesto Ramirez’s reflections on singing, preparing for his upcoming concert: an interview with a great singer

Posted on May 2, 2026 by barczablog

I am a big fan of Ernesto Ramirez and his beautiful tenor voice. I’ve seen him sing several times. The voice has a memorable sound, indeed the ideal colour for the Italian bel canto repertoire. He is a singer of … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Beach United Church, bel canto, classical-music, Ernesto Ramirez, Hello Goodbye, Holly Chaplin, music, Narmina Efendiyeva, Ryan Hofman | Leave a comment

Best Toronto Symphony concert of the season

Posted on May 1, 2026 by barczablog

So far so good. I knew I was going to like this concert because they were playing pieces I liked. I did not expect this to be the best concert of the season. As we go into the month of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged CAMH, Centre for Addiction & Mental Health, Cris Derksen, Dmitri Shostakovich, Elim Chan, Lukáš Vondráček, Mark Williams, Roy Thomson Hall, Sergei Rachmaninoff, STILL HERE, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Leave a comment