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Author Archives: barczablog
The mysterious politics of the TSO
Why a series of pieces with the word “mystery”? Sometimes a person may feel clueless. There are times when I feel satisfied with myself and my abilities. I go to a concert or watch a production in a theatre, and come … Continue reading
Mysteries
As we come to the latter part of the year, a festive time when we hoist drinks, hug our loved ones and count our blessings, I’m playing a bit of a game, partly inspired by my friend Ian Henderson. Perhaps … Continue reading
Posted in Personal ruminations & essays
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Metaphysical Sausage Party
Imagine you were having a spiritual crisis. There you are, wondering, asking yourself about God and the meaning of life. And then you stumble upon a film on pay TV that seems to offer answers, precisely at the moment of … Continue reading
Posted in Spirituality & Religion
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All’s Well in Messiahville
Toronto is known for a few things. We’re a very knowledgeable hockey town, even if that’s often been a special kind of torture. We’re possibly the most genuinely multi-cultural city in the world, embracing all colours of the rainbow, including … Continue reading
Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews
3 Comments
Two different takes on Bach: Busoni vs Brahms
Anthologies tend to be a mixed bag. I’m quite partial to a Schirmer collection of 26 Bach piano transcriptions by an assortment of great composers. It has its strengths and weaknesses. I am not particularly inspired by what Saint-Saëns did … Continue reading
Leon Fleisher: My Nine Lives
I escaped into another world, a place populated by famous musicians. You may remember Leon Fleisher as an American pianist. I recall him for performances that were usually my favourite versions of piano concerti, usually paired with Conductor George Szell … Continue reading
Shore’s Fellowship
The Toronto Symphony, the Toronto Mendelssohn Choir, The Canadian Children’s Opera Company in partnership with tiff presented a concert performance of Howard Shore’s score for The Fellowship of the Ring, the first of Peter Jackson’s Tolkien films. If you think … Continue reading
Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews
2 Comments
Filament Incubator – Paradise Comics
It sounds challenging, this objective of Filament Incubator to produce eight plays in eight months and as far as I can tell they pulled it off. How difficult is it? To put it in context, you’d have to look at … Continue reading
Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews
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10 Questions for Tyler Duncan: Handel’s Messiah
Canadian baritone Tyler Duncan has performed at the Metropolitan Opera, the Spoleto Festival, Boston Early Music Festival, Pacific Opera Victoria; and Princeton Festival. Duncan’s concerts include Mahler’s 8th Symphony with the American Symphony Orchestra and the Toronto Symphony, Berlioz L’enfance … Continue reading
Posted in Interviews, Music and musicology
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Sir Andrew Davis’s big beautiful Messiah: on Chandos
Last year the Toronto Symphony revived a new concert edition of Handel’s Messiah, first heard in 2010, created by their conductor laureate Sir Andrew Davis. At the time of the December 2015 concerts I declared that I wanted to hear … Continue reading
Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews
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