Author Archives: barczablog

“First, it is ridiculed”

Posted on May 3, 2012 by barczablog

Stewart Goodyear posted the following quote on Facebook today: “First, it is ridiculed….; Second, it is violently opposed; Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.” -Arthur Schopenhauer Goodyear probably meant to speak of his Beethoven Marathon but I am borrowing … Continue reading →

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Handel and Zhang: great minds thinking alike

Posted on April 28, 2012 by barczablog

I’m writing about two men who made some odd choices, showing a parallel brilliance even though separated by centuries. George Frederic Handel was simply trying to make a living, a composer whose works were sometimes welcomed, sometimes not.  Semele, with … Continue reading →

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Two from Florence

Posted on April 27, 2012 by barczablog

The double bill of Zemlinsky’s A Florentine Tragedy with Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, currently being presented by the Canadian Opera Company, is a marriage made in heaven, a pair of complementary opposites who seem to belong together. They’re alike in some … Continue reading →

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Picasso in Toronto

Posted on April 25, 2012 by barczablog

When we come into contact with a great figure in the world of art we’re bound to be confronted with the great questions. What is art? What is culture & what is its relationship to citizenship & society? How should … Continue reading →

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Seek Haydn

Posted on April 23, 2012 by barczablog

At one time, the pathway to success for a virtuoso was simple. Sing what everyone else sings Sing it better than anyone …and by doing so, prove that you’re the best The game has changed.  I own several CDs that … Continue reading →

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The healing power of Beethoven

Posted on April 21, 2012 by barczablog

I am writing after the fact, a little shocked by something I lived through, and want to testify to the healing power of music.  It shouldn’t be a surprise.  Conductors & musicians live remarkably long lives, likely rejuvenated by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays | 5 Comments

10 Questions for Arkady Spivak

Posted on April 21, 2012 by barczablog

Arkady Spivak is a classic Canadian success story.  Founder and Artistic Producer of Talk is Free Theatre (TIFT), Spivak earned a BA in Theatre and Business from York University in 2000, immediately joining Barrie’s Gryphon Theatre as a summer student.  … Continue reading →

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Meeting Titurel

Posted on April 21, 2012 by barczablog

I wrote this as a Facebook “note” in August 2009, a kind of diary entry seen only by friends.  It came to mind today in an online conversation, and so I decided to revisit these thoughts. ~~~~~~~~~~~~ I am not … Continue reading →

Posted in Food, Health and Nutrition, Opera, Personal ruminations & essays, Psychology and perception, Spirituality & Religion | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Muse of Fire

Posted on April 19, 2012 by barczablog

When the Prologue to Henry V confronts us with the limitations of the medium, inviting the audience to employ their “imaginary forces,” because it is our “thoughts that now must deck [their] kings” we are encountering yet another part of … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier’s Armide in Toronto

Posted on April 18, 2012 by barczablog

I have to rethink my week, because somehow I have to get to see Opera Atelier’s production of Jean-Baptiste Lully’s Armide again.  Possibly the finest opera of the 17th Century, and certainly one of the greatest operas ever written, it’s … Continue reading →

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