Author Archives: barczablog

Attila Keszei in 2018

Posted on November 13, 2018

I’ve written about Attila Keszei a few times including an interview back in 2015. I met him at the University of Toronto, a kindred spirit because We’re both Hungarian We both worked for Facilities & Services at the University of … Continue reading →

Posted in Art, Architecture & Design, Press Releases and Announcements, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Questions for Rose Plotek: Like Mother, Like Daughter

Posted on November 12, 2018

Questions about process and form can be among the most profound even if they seem to be never-ending.  I’m happily immersed in such considerations this week, having seen Humans by Circa (what is their idiom after all?) and Ken Gass’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations | Tagged | Leave a comment

Helen’s Necklace via Canadian Rep Theatre

Posted on November 11, 2018

I knew what I was going to see when I got to the upstairs space on Berkeley St. Oh sure, it was Canadian Rep Theatre’s staging of Carole Fréchette’s play Helen’s Necklace in John Murrell’s translation, directed by Ken Gass. … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Circa Humans

Posted on November 10, 2018

Tonight I saw Humans by the Circa Ensemble a visiting troupe from Australia. I read the following brief preamble from Yaron Lifschitz, the Artistic Director of Circa.  While it was poignant before the show, it was positively illuminating to re-read … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations, Psychology and perception, Reviews, Theatre & musicals | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

Steffani: more devotion than drama

Posted on November 9, 2018

I am grateful for the gift of a new voice, a new composer introduced to me by Tafelmusik, Ivars Taurins, and Krisztina Szabo. It’s truly a magical thing. I was pondering the experience of classical music, how so much of … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Reviews | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Remembering Kristallnacht

Posted on November 8, 2018

Today’s concert at the Richard Bradshaw Amphitheatre as part of the Canadian Opera Company’s noon-hour series was a special program titled “Remembering Kristallnacht”,  presented in partnership with the German Consulate of Toronto and the Neuberger’s 2018 Holocaust Education Week. It’s … Continue reading →

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

Closing matinée for Onegin

Posted on November 4, 2018

This afternoon’s late matinée at 4:30 pm was the final performance for Eugene Onegin in the Canadian Opera Company’s fall season. Weekend audiences can be a bit of a challenge especially in the afternoon. Oh sure, we’re all relaxed in … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays, Personal ruminations, Politics | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments