Author Archives: barczablog

Talking to Lauren Margison about Alceste

Posted on January 3, 2025 by barczablog

Canadian soprano Lauren Margison will sing the title role in Gluck’s Alceste on January 12th with Voicebox Opera in Concert. Lauren is a graduate of the Canadian Opera Company Ensemble studio, the Atelier Lyrique de l’Opéra de Montréal and a … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Opera | Tagged Alceste, Ann Cooper Gay, Christine Goerke, Christoph Willibald Gluck, classical-music, Guillermo Silva-Marin, Lauren Margison, opera, Richard Margison, Valerie Kuinka, Voicebox Opera in Concert | Leave a comment

My mother

Posted on December 30, 2024 by barczablog

There is so much I can say about Katherine Barcza, born in 1921, although I will let the pictures speak. My mom used to light a candle on December 30th on the anniversary of my father’s passing in 1960, exactly … Continue reading →

Posted in My mother | Tagged family, life, love, Mom, mother | 28 Comments

Year(s) of Czech Music at the piano

Posted on December 17, 2024 by barczablog

2024 is the year of Czech Music, a celebration that’s held every decade in the year ending in 4. Speaking of ending, this year’s instalment is swiftly coming to a close, a year that saw the Canadian Opera Company present … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Music and musicology, My mother, University life | Tagged Ack Värmeland, Adagietto, Antonin Dvorak, Bedrich Smetana, Bohemia, classical, classical-music, dumka, Edward Johnson Building Library, Franz Liszt, furiant, Gustav Mahler, Harvey Olnick, James Ehnes, Jan Lisiecki, John Holland, Jussi Björling, Ma vlast, music, orchestra, Otto Singer, piano, polka, Robert Keller, skocna, Slavonic Dances, sousedska, The Moldau, Year of Czech Music, Zubin Mehta | Leave a comment

Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm actually warmed my heart

Posted on December 7, 2024 by barczablog

Book titles can be funny. I didn’t really understand what John Elford’s book was doing when I saw the cover. But then again I suppose that’s why we read books, to answer the questions they pose. Sometimes art functions as … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Politics, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged Annie Jacobsen, apes on a treadmill, Christianity, Ennio Morricone, faith, Fat Man and Little Boy, history, Internment camps, J Robert Oppenheimer, john-wesley, Leslie Groves, methodism, Methodist Church, Military Industrial Complex, Nuclear War: A Scenario, Our Hearts Were Strangely Lukewarm, Paul Newman, Racing for the Bomb, Reverend John Elford, Robert S Norris, Roland Joffé, White Supremacy | 1 Comment

Finding out about 3 penny Messiah

Posted on November 30, 2024 by barczablog

Opera by Request and No Strings Theatre are collaborating on their 3 penny Messiah, a smaller scale alternative to what is offered from big groups such as Tafelmusik or the Toronto Symphony, one performance December 7th and a singalong December … Continue reading →

Posted in Interviews, Press Releases and Announcements | Tagged Avery Krisman, Cesar Bello, College Street United Church, Denise Williams, George Frideric Handel, Meagan Reimer, Messiah, No Strings Theatre, Opera by Request, Roanna Kitchen, Singalong, William Shookhoff | Leave a comment

The other Christmas Oratorio from Tafelmusik

Posted on November 25, 2024 by barczablog

Excuse me for this preamble, pondering Christmas oratorios. Toronto is Messiah town, as musical ensembles large (Toronto Symphony Dec 17-22 at Roy Thomson Hall or Tafelmusik Dec 20 & 21, plus the Singalong December 22nd) or small (Opera by Request … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology | Tagged Bach, Cecilia Duarte, Charles Daniels, Charlotte Nediger, choral-music, Friedrich Nietzsche, George Frideric Handel, Hélène Brunet, Ivars Taurins, Jeanne Lamon Hall, Jesse Blumberg, Johann Sebastian Bach, Messiah, Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, Tafelmusik Chamber Choir, The Birth of Tragedy | 3 Comments

Hilarious combat in The Bidding War

Posted on November 21, 2024 by barczablog

The title of The Bidding War isn’t just a metaphor. Michael Ross Albert’s new play has just opened at Crow’s Theatre with a big cast and big laughs. The premise is so simple that it can’t miss. Buyers and agents … Continue reading →

Posted in Dance, theatre & musicals, Reviews | Tagged Amy Matysio, Aurora Brown, Crow's Theatre, Fiona Reid, Gregory Prest, Gregory Waters, Guloien Theatre, Izad Etemadi, Michael Ross Albert, Paolo Santalucia, Peter Fernandes, Real Estate, Sergio Di Zio, Sophia Walker, Steven Sutcliffe, The Bidding War, The Master Plan, Veronica Hortiguela | Leave a comment

Fire & Ice: Shostakovich, Sibelius and TSO specialties

Posted on November 18, 2024 by barczablog

When an artist tells you their goals & objectives one should listen. Gustavo Gimeno’s “European Soundscapes” essay in the current Toronto Symphony program gives us some great clues as to what we should expect from the orchestra. No they are … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Ana Sokolovic, classical-music, Dmitri Shostakovich, Gustavo Gimeno, Jean Sibelius, Julian Rachlin, Mozart, music, Shostakovich, Sibelius, Toronto Symphony Orchestra | Leave a comment

Grounded and how we got here

Posted on November 10, 2024 by barczablog

I was disappointed to miss the live High Definition broadcast of Grounded October 19th, seeing the Canadian Opera Company Nabucco. I thought that the main reason I wanted to attend was to see brilliant mezzo-soprano Emily D’Angelo in the lead … Continue reading →

Posted in Opera, Politics, Reviews | Tagged Ben Bliss, cognitive dissonance, Ellie Dehn, Emily D'Angelo, futurism, George Brant, Grounded, Jenine Tesori, Kyle Miller, Metropolitan Opera, Metropolitan Opera High Definition Broadcast, Mimi Lien, Yannick Nezet-seguin | Leave a comment

Stunning serendipity as John Adams Returns

Posted on November 7, 2024 by barczablog

The concert is titled “John Adams Returns”. Toronto Symphony seemed prescient in welcoming the composer this week to conduct a program including some of his own works. It’s uncanny. By the serendipity of the calendar tonight’s concert had a special … Continue reading →

Posted in Music and musicology, Reviews | Tagged Anna Prohaska, Claude Debussy, John Adams, Maurice Ravel, Nixon in China, Roy Thomson Hall, Toronto Symphony | 1 Comment