Author Archives: barczablog

Anticipating David James Brock’s upcoming Room of Keys: an interview

Posted on April 2, 2026 by barczablog

Room of Keys is David James Brock’s one act play, created with Adam Sherkin of Piano Lunaire, inspired by Béla Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle (1918). It’s natural that a mysterious symbolist play invites exploration. As with the piano paraphrases of La … Continue reading →

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French Meditations take Scarborough Philharmonic to new heights

Posted on March 29, 2026 by barczablog

When someone improves, you may wonder why. Listening to Scarborough Philharmonic’s “French Meditations” concert Saturday night I wondered: is it the leadership, is it the players, is it their choice of music? whatever factors came into play, this was the … Continue reading →

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Cyclops on the edge

Posted on March 29, 2026 by barczablog

I have just seen Cyclops: A Satyr Play, Produced by Panic Theatre in association with Talk is Free Theatre, Written, Directed and Performed by Griffin Hewitt, with Original Music by Juliette Jones. If I said it’s Euripides’ only surviving Satyr … Continue reading →

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JS Bach’s St Matthew Passion with Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and JS Vallée

Posted on March 27, 2026 by barczablog

Wednesday March 25th I attended the concluding performance of Johann Sebastian Bach’s St Matthew Passion at Koerner Hall by the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir and the TMC Baroque Orchestra led by Jean-Sébastien Vallée. This massive work is the perfect celebration of … Continue reading →

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Ugly crying at Yuval Sharon’s brilliant Tristan und Isolde from the Metropolitan Opera

Posted on March 23, 2026 by barczablog

Saturday March 21st I was among the viewers in a Scarborough Cineplex watching and listening to the Metropolitan Opera high definition broadcast of Tristan und Isolde directed by Yuval Sharon, conducted by Yannick Nezet-Seguin. At least as far as the … Continue reading →

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Christopher Bagan, busy keyboardist & scholar talks about his new orchestration of Pelléas et Mélisande

Posted on March 14, 2026 by barczablog

Christopher Bagan wears a lot of hats, as keyboardist, conductor, professor at University of Toronto, chamber musician, basso continuo specialist, coach & repetiteur. In the immediate future: Christopher joins Toronto Mendelssohn Choir’s presentations of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion March 24th-25th. … Continue reading →

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A Bach Celebration with Tafelmusik Chamber Choir & Ivars Taurins

Posted on March 13, 2026 by barczablog

Thursday night was the first performance by Tafelmusik of A Bach Celebration at Jeanne Lamon Hall. The explanation was that this is an attempt to present a curated series of works that less well-known, instead of the usual canonical pieces, … Continue reading →

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Nathan Sawaya’s ART OF THE BRICK

Posted on March 13, 2026 by barczablog

The Art of the Brick show has now come to Toronto as of today March 12th. Nathan Sawaya is the artist. Yes I want to call his creations “art” and yes he is an artist, working with LEGO blocks and … Continue reading →

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BELTing Over the Rainbow

Posted on March 11, 2026 by barczablog

BELT Monday night March 9th invited us to “another unforgettable night of communal singing at Crow’s Theatre” to “learn and perform the beloved classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz.” After spending Saturday morning March 7th studying … Continue reading →

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Singsational Bach workshop with Jean-Sébastien Vallée

Posted on March 7, 2026 by barczablog

I know Jean-Sébastien Vallée as the artistic director of Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, which sometimes means he’s preparing the TMC for their work with another conductor, sometimes he’s the one leading the big ensemble, as he did for the Brahms German … Continue reading →

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