Author Archives: barczablog

10 Questions for Conrad Chow

Posted on June 20, 2012 by barczablog

Whether performing at the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Disney Hall in Los Angeles, Carnegie Hall in New York, or Qingdao Grand Auditorium in China, Canadian violinist Conrad Chow has won over audiences with his interpretations of music from different centuries, continents, … Continue reading →

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Father’s Day

Posted on June 18, 2012 by barczablog

Sunday June 17th was the day I watched Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (let’s call it ELIC) for a second time.  I’d seen it Friday night, and reviewed it.  I remarked that for me its chief subject was not 9/11, … Continue reading →

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10 Questions for Adam Klein

Posted on June 17, 2012 by barczablog

Adam Klein is a man of many guises.  He’s a tenor, singing in many different styles. He’s a composer.  A teacher.  An instrument maker. No wonder Klein seemed to be a natural as Loge in Das Rheingold at the Metropolitan … Continue reading →

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Somewhat soon and partially successful

Posted on June 16, 2012 by barczablog

For those of you accustomed to reading my accolades for singers, artists & pianists it may seem that you’ve stumbled into the wrong page, with a headline like this. Oh my God, he actually says negative things? yes Isn’t that … Continue reading →

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Wonderful Windermere

Posted on June 15, 2012 by barczablog

Given what I’ve said in previous reviews concerning historically informed performance (HIP), you won’t be surprised to find me eagerly eating up a recent release from Windermere String Quartet (Laura Jones -cello, who was so prominent recently in Essential Opera’s  … Continue reading →

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Influential Einstein

Posted on June 10, 2012 by barczablog

Einstein on the Beach has finally come to Toronto, an opera whose importance and influence is out of all proportion to the actual number who saw it.  Einstein’s a perfect example of that crazy 20th century phenomenon, where the idea … Continue reading →

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Beginning the Marathon

Posted on June 9, 2012 by barczablog

I attended the first section of Stewart Goodyear’s “Beethoven Marathon” today at Koerner Hall. I am still trying to wrap my head around this experience, which was in some respects more of a happening than a concert. We were given … Continue reading →

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The New Everest

Posted on June 8, 2012 by barczablog

In a fascinating article in the New York Times, Anthony Tommasini observed that virtuosi are “becoming a dime a dozen”.   Surely there’s some truth to this.  Tommasini made the analogy to the four minute mile, once thought to be an … Continue reading →

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Parkdale Peter Pan

Posted on June 3, 2012 by barczablog

Small is beautiful, especially if you embrace theatricality.  In a world of CGI, big budget special effects and body doubles, everything is possible on a grand scale.  If the willing suspension of disbelief that Coleridge described is an innate human … Continue reading →

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Contes pour enfants pas sages

Posted on May 30, 2012 by barczablog

Christopher Butterfield’s Contes pour enfants pas sages premiered in Toronto recently adapting Jacques Prévert’s 1947 collection of stories of the same name.  It’s a cycle adapted as musical theatre in a collaboration between Continuum Music, Choir 21 led by David … Continue reading →

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