Author Archives: barczablog

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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10 Questions for Norine Burgess

Posted on April 15, 2012 by barczablog

Norine Burgess’s stage presence and elegant singing keep her busy in opera houses and on concert stages around the world.  Recently she was heard in Beethoven’s 9th (Vancouver Symphony), Clairon in Strauss’s Capriccio (Pacific Opera Victoria), as Annio in Mozart’s … Continue reading →

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CAGE MATCH (!)

Posted on April 14, 2012 by barczablog

The title, all in caps, is meant to invoke the voice of Tom Allen from CBC, as he used to say it on a program, that, alas is no longer part of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC)’s schedule. CBC keep changing … Continue reading →

Posted in Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Met Walküre

Posted on April 14, 2012 by barczablog

Before I begin this review, I want to give a quick shout out to my pal Robert. “Salut Robert.  Oui je sais que je suis “easy”, ou, comme on dit  “You had me at “Wes Herd dies auch sei/ hier … Continue reading →

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Tina Fey — Bossypants

Posted on April 13, 2012 by barczablog

Don’t trust a man who claims to be writing about feminism.  We have agendas.  Now of course sometimes I fool people because they see “Leslie Barcza” and think I am a girl. But I can’t be trusted. There are several … Continue reading →

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Young funny adult people

Posted on April 10, 2012 by barczablog

When you run into a film unlike any you’ve ever seen before, there’s a temptation to attempt to make sense of it through other films one has seen.   How else would we know a unicorn, except by our previous experience … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | 2 Comments