Author Archives: barczablog

Beckett: Feck It!

Posted on February 23, 2012 by barczablog

I just saw Queen of Puddings Music Theatre’s production, in association with Canadian Stage, of Beckett: Feck It!  You hear a title like that and you may well wonder what they were thinking, what they were trying to say. I … Continue reading →

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Topic of cancer

Posted on February 20, 2012 by barczablog

Spoiler alert: unavoidably I have to talk about the way some films end because that’s central to this discussion.  If you don’t want me to reveal how 50/50 ends please stop reading…Anyone still there? Having seen Dani Girl, a provocative … Continue reading →

Posted in Books & Literature, Cinema, video & DVDs, Dance, theatre & musicals, Essays | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Tryst with Liszt

Posted on February 20, 2012 by barczablog

Neapolitan Connection presented “A Romantic Music Tryst with Liszt,” as a much a playful exploration as a concert, presented in the intimate Studio Theatre at the Toronto Centre for the Arts. The piano was not set up for a recital, … Continue reading →

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Dani Girl

Posted on February 19, 2012 by barczablog

Dani Girl is an original musical from the young team of Michael Kooman (music) and Christopher Dimond (book & lyrics), now at the beginning of a Toronto run co-produced by Talk is Free Theatre and Show One Productions. Watching this … Continue reading →

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Enigmatic Liszt

Posted on February 18, 2012 by barczablog

There’s more to Franz Liszt than most people realize.  If you ask a musicologist they’ll usually rattle off a series of truisms: one of the first great virtuosi for the piano, possibly the greatest pianist in history Wagner’s father-in-law Long-lived … Continue reading →

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Unexpected Tosca

Posted on February 17, 2012 by barczablog

Just when you think you know how a story will turn out –because it’s such a well-known opera—they throw you a curve.  There’s no drama quite like experiencing a work you think you know, where they’ve changed the usual ending. … Continue reading →

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Dowland in Dublin

Posted on February 16, 2012 by barczablog

A professor I once had claimed that art could be understood as a kind of research.  Something newly created is a proposition to be tested against the taste of every new audience, seeking a fair hearing and possibly a genuine … Continue reading →

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Multiple voices

Posted on February 14, 2012 by barczablog

It’s a curious coincidence.  The two debuts in popular music that I felt at the most visceral level, even though they were separated by many years and with an ocean between them, have something else in common.  No I didn’t … Continue reading →

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Closing the Ring

Posted on February 12, 2012 by barczablog

I love it. When you’re writing about a great massive project it’s easy to be verbose, a lot harder to say something meaningful that’s brief, so let me get the most important part out of the way.  As I said: … Continue reading →

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Opera Atelier Lays Claim to a New Period

Posted on February 9, 2012 by barczablog

Opera Atelier announced their 2012-2013 season, a revival of Mozart’s Magic Flute and a new production of Weber’s Der Freischütz.  This time they’re trying something new. OA are remarkable in the way they build upon their strengths.  Over their quarter … Continue reading →

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