Author Archives: barczablog

Discussing The Wounds of Love and Other Gifts, Bruce Dow’s new musical: an interview

Posted on June 23, 2026 by barczablog

In an interview I aim for rapport, to get the subject to trust me, to be open in their answers: language I learned decades ago when I trained to be a psychotherapist, a profession that in the end was beyond … Continue reading →

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Unprepared for Parḗlios

Posted on June 16, 2026 by barczablog

My review of Parḗlios? The headline says it. I was in the lobby at Theatre Passe Muraille early Sunday in anticipation of the closing performance of Parḗlios when I ran into Jennifer Nichols, who directed & choreographed the show, the … Continue reading →

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Of Whales and Willpower Part One: Jamaican Music from Apocryphonia

Posted on June 14, 2026 by barczablog

The title of the concert Friday June 12th at Christ Church Deer Park was “Of Whales and Willpower: The Jamaican Jonah, Part 1”, suggesting that there’s a sequel in the works. This first step was hearing excerpts from Samuel Felsted’s … Continue reading →

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Digging into cinematic culture with Maria Dueñas, Gustavo Gimeno & the Toronto Symphony

Posted on June 7, 2026 by barczablog

In a week when every item in the Toronto Symphony’s concert program has a connection to film, it was amazing to see such a remarkable variety, the many different ways music and movies can be connected. And the results were … Continue reading →

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Bringing the first Jamaican oratorio to life in Toronto: an interview with organist Joshua Duncan Lee

Posted on June 6, 2026 by barczablog

As a follower of Apocryphonia, I heard about the concert presenting excerpts from Samuel Felsted’s Jonah, coming this Friday June 12th at 7:30 pm, at Christ Church, Deer Park. The work is significant not just as the first oratorio composed … Continue reading →

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Virtuoso Shunske Sato takes Tafelmusik to the next level with Beethoven & Bologne

Posted on June 1, 2026 by barczablog

Descending the stairs after the final Tafelmusik concert of the season at Koerner Hall, walking slowly behind older audience members, a woman beside me glanced over, eyes glowing, wanting to share her experience. She had to talk. And so we … Continue reading →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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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 →

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