Author Archives: barczablog

At last: #COC1617 is the most Canadian season yet 

Posted on January 14, 2016 by barczablog

Tonight’s Canadian Opera Company announcement of the coming season’s operas gave us reason to be proud, a genuine celebration of the sesquicentennial of Canada’s confederation. We checked in with the key components of the COC: Alexander Neef & Johannes Debus … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | 4 Comments

TSO Announcement: good days for Canadian composers

Posted on January 12, 2016 by barczablog

The official announcements are still to come.  It’s a great year, or will be a great year to be Canadian, as we celebrate 150 years of Confederation in 2017. Anticipation is a big part of the fun. On Wednesday the … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Opera, Press Releases and Announcements | Leave a comment

Bus nostalgia: a top ten list

Posted on January 11, 2016 by barczablog

I’m all sentimental about bus trips after spending much of the past few days riding around Florida with the Toronto Symphony.  Here’s a list of movies that show us different aspects of life on the road, presented in reverse order … Continue reading →

Posted in Cinema, video & DVDs, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged , | 2 Comments

TSO: Managing Content in the Age of Convergence

Posted on January 9, 2016 by barczablog

Although I’ve been enjoying the Toronto Symphony tour up close, pressing my nose up to the glass of my window on the bus to stare at the world going by, it’s been a kind of workshop in so much more.  … Continue reading →

Posted in Personal ruminations & essays | 1 Comment

The TSO 100, alongside the speedway 

Posted on January 9, 2016 by barczablog

Daytona Beach was the location for the latest instalment of the Toronto Symphony tour.  I heard them play at Peabody Auditorium, not far from the famous speedway that’s the site of the Daytona 500.  In speaking of the venue I … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Leave a comment

Orpheus in the underworld: Lisiecki’s romance

Posted on January 9, 2016 by barczablog

From the headline you might never guess that this is an analysis of musical performance.  Friday I had my second listen to Jan Lisiecki playing Beethoven’s 4th piano concerto with the Toronto Symphony conducted by Peter Oundjian. Listening to JL and … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

TSO: road to Miami

Posted on January 8, 2016 by barczablog

As I try to find a parallel to my experiences tonight, I’m thinking back to the hockey series I saw on TV in September 1972 (when Canada defeated the Soviets). It’s not hockey but music, and the only Russian involved … Continue reading →

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Pisani vs Mate: a battle for the heart

Posted on January 7, 2016 by barczablog

Sometimes the most innocuous choice can seem symbolic, as though it represents a fork in the road. I was packing my carry-on for my flight down to Florida, as I spend a few days getting closer to the Toronto Symphony … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Personal ruminations & essays | Tagged | Leave a comment

TSO warming up in Florida

Posted on January 6, 2016 by barczablog

Toronto has just had the coldest day of the year! Brr-r-r: except it’s only January 5th so that’s a crazy statistic. I almost called it a “sadistic”because of course, as i look at the sky and wonder about cold weather, … Continue reading →

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Questions for Brahm Goldhamer: playing Schubert

Posted on January 2, 2016 by barczablog

I know Brahm Goldhamer as a collaborative pianist of exceptional sensitivity. Of all the Toronto pianists I’ve heard in the concert-opera mode—where piano must stand in for all the instruments of the orchestra—his performance in Debussy’s Pelléas et Mélisande in … Continue reading →

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